Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2 The Novelation
by Fairy Red
Summary: Just like the title says. This is just the base for the AU I'm planning. Rated for language, suggestive themes, the works. Pairings? Read fanfic to find out! Chapter 8 up!
1. Chapter 1

**Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2**

**Disclaimer: **Fairy Red doesn't own anything from Atlus, Flight Plan, Banpresto, Nintendo, and any other company that helped make this extraordinary game.

**A/N: **Yep. I liked it all the way through. It's funny, with some serious parts, and a great story all in all! So…Here are the characters names so you don't get confused.

Edgar - Tetsuya; Aera - Aura; Loki - Rinku; Dinah - Pearl

That should settle it! Hope you enjoy!

**Prologue: Meet Tetsuya and Aura Colthearts (And Rinku and Pearl!)  
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"Right on!" said Tetsuya, who was leading Ryouga to the gate. "We're doing great! There's only a bit further to go…"

"We did it," agreed Aura, who was also leading Ryouga to the gate. "We're not doing bad at all! We only have a little bit further to go…"

"Hey…" started Ryouga.

"If anyone finds out that I let someone in, I'm going to get in a lot of trouble…" said Tetsuya with a worried look.

"I know, Tetsuya," said Aura. She frowned determinedly and said, "We promised Ryouga I'd do it for him. I can't break my promise!"

"But I made a promise to Ryouga!" Tetsuya added determinedly. "A man can't go back on his word!"

"Hey…"

"Even if it wasn't for Ryouga, I'm a Craftknight! The word of a Craftknight is stronger than the hardest steel! I can't break my promise, no matter what happens!" said Tetsuya.

"The word of a Craftknight is stronger than the toughest chain!" completed Aura. "No matter what happens, I can't go back on my word!"

"Hey!" shouted Ryouga suddenly. "Look out!"

Tetsuya and Aura jumped. "What?!" they were brought of their reverie, standing right on the edge of the cliff. "Ryouga?!" they noticed where they was standing. "Ahh!" they tried taking a step but ending up leaning back. "Woooaaahhh!" they wailed, waving their arms frantically.

Ryouga hurried to help them. "Tetsuya!! Aura!!" he grabbed Tetsuya's and Aura's arm and tossed them to the wall, where they promptly fell to the ground,

"…" went Aura and Tetsuya.

"Are you all right?" asked Ryouga. (I wonder how tossing someone to the wall makes someone all right?)

"Hahaha!" wailed Tetsuya.

"Aheheh…" chuckled Aura. "Don't worry about me," she said, standing up. "I'm okay!

Tetsuya stood up too and dusted himself off. "No need to worry! I'm just fine. A Craftknight does more than just make weapons. He also trains his body for the rigors of combat!" said Tetsuya.

"A Craftknight doesn't just make weapons," added Aura. "She has to prepare her body to use them in battle!"

"You need to learn how to walk before you can fight in battle," said Ryouga with a worried frown. "You're just repeating what Blaire told you, aren't you? You're still just an apprentice. Am I right?"

Aura did a "but still…" frown and said, "I might be just an apprentice…but I'm still a Craftknight!"

"It doesn't matter if I'm a novice or an expert--I'm still a Craftknight!" Tetsuya added with a frown.

"Huh…You're worried about getting shouted at by Blaire for this, aren't you guys?" asked Ryouga, looking between the twins.

"I wasn't thinking about that!" said Aura and Tetsuya in unison defensively. "I was thinking about why I promised to take you to Goura's Gate…"

"It's your own fault," smiled Ryouga. "If you hadn't fought so pitifully in our duel, you wouldn't have to do this. Both you and Tetsuya took me on and lost…"

"Pitiful is a harsh word…" said Aura.

"I'm not pitiful!" shouted Tetsuya. "I and Aura could have won if we pushed ourselves a bit more!"

"Whatever! You lost, I won. You made a promise, and now you need to make good. The ruins might be a restricted area, but you still need to guide me in."

"I know, I know," said Tetsuya.

"We haven't forgotten," said Aura with a smile.

"Well then, watch out," advised Ryouga. "There's a cliff over there. Falling off would hurt more than running into me."

"All right, already," sighed Tetsuya.

Aura smiled and added, "Sorry for making you worry."

"What?!" demanded Ryouga, going a bit red. "As if I'd be worried about you. Come on, let's go!" he stalked away quickly.

"Hey, wait up. Ryouga…" Aura and Tetsuya followed Ryouga, and met up with him at a crossroad.

Ryouga said, "Come on. You know that we can't get into Goura's Gate if you two aren't there."

"We're trying to apologize!" said Aura.

"You were the first one to get here," pointed out Tetsuya with a frown.

"Huh…"

"The gate's up ahead…" said Tetsuya, looking in the direction of the gate. Are you sure you want to go into Goura's Gate, Ryouga?

"There are some evil Summon Creatures past that gate, you know?" added Aura.

"Yeah! I want to see the monsters that are so powerful they could ruin the world. It's not fair that you're the only one who can go in and see them. I want to check them out!"

"What can I say…?" Aura looked worried.

"Should we try to dissuade him?" Tetsuya looked worried.

"I get it…" said Ryouga slowly. "You're worried of breaking Goura's Seal, huh?"

"Honestly? Yes," muttered Tetsuya.

"Huh…You're really afraid, Tetsuya?" asked Ryouga disbelievingly. "Are you just trying to scare me, so I won't ask you to open it? Or are you just worried about Master Blaire shouting at you?"

"Stop that!" shouted Tetsuya. "This has nothing to do with Master finding out!"

"No, I'm not afraid!" shouted Aura before Tetsuya could say anything more.

He turned to Aura. "I see…If you're not afraid of the seal… Then you must be afraid of Master Blaire finding out!"

"Not this again…" sighed Aura. She frowned and said to Ryouga, "I'm not worried about Master!

"To hell with you!" shouted Tetsuya. "You're not so tough in front of your sister, either!"

"Tetsuya!" scolded Aura, turning to Tetsuya.

"Shut up! That's not true at all. Well…" Ryouga thought about it. "That might be a little true. You should still shut up about it."

"Ha!" laughed Tetsuya. "I told you so."

"See, I told you," said Aura.

"Tch…she might not be my real sister, but she means a lot to me…" Ryouga looked sad now.

Whoops. Maybe shouldn't have mentioned that… "I understand…" said Tetsuya guiltily.

"I know what you mean…" said Aura, feeling bad for saying something mean to Ryouga.

"Dad…" Tetsuya glanced at Aura, clutching his memento.

"Father…" Aura did a slight nod, pulling our her own memento.

"Hey, stop looking at what your real father left you… Blaire's your dad now." Ryouga tapped Tetsuya's and Aura's shoulder. "You should be happy! I know he's a little weird, but still…"

"Hey, it's not like I'm unhappy about it! He might be a little strange, but he's still a decent guy," said Tetsuya.

"Orin and Tatiana are good people, too. I don't have any problem thinking of them as our brother and sister," added Aura. "The reason we hang on to this stone all the time is because Blaire told us to keep it with us at all times."

"Okay, okay, I get it," said Ryouga. "Oh, by the way, the other day he said that he doesn't want you to call him Master."

"…" went Tetsuya, again looking worried.

"What did he say?" asked Aura, feeling like she knew what was coming.

"He said to call him your big brother."

"What?!" cried Tetsuya in surprise. "Why would he say that!?"

"Huh? No way!" exclaimed Aura. She sighed. "I don't understand Master at all…"

"Heh…You have a pretty nice family. I'm a little jealous."

"Hehehe… But I envy you too, Ryouga," said Aura.

"For what?" asked Ryouga.

"Dude…" said Tetsuya, blushing a little. "Lynn is a total babe!"

"No, no," said Aura. She smiled and blushed a little at Ryouga. "Lynn's so beautiful and mature…I really look up to her."

"Hah! She might be beautiful, but at home, she--wait!" Ryouga heard something, and looked towards the first path.

"What?! She what?" asked Tetsuya and Aura in confusion.

"Shut up…I think I heard something…"

"Ah…" went a voice suddenly.

Tetsuya and Ryouga gasped. "Hey, I heard it, too!" said Tetsuya.

"Who could it be?" asked Aura.

"It's a voice! It came from over this way!" Ryouga ran ahead.

"Over there?" asked Tetsuya.

"Hey, our house used to be in that direction…" they followed Ryouga to the sound of the voice and stood next to Ryouga.

"Look, Aura, Tetsuya," said Ryouga, pointing at the scene before them.

"Is somebody on the ground?" asked Tetsuya.

"Two of them?" asked Aura in surprised.

"Wait a minute…" said Ryouga slowly, getting a good look at the beings. "They're not human! They're Summon Creatures! What are they?"

"Uh…It's…" Tetsuya squinted a little to get a good look. "One is an oni-child…"

"And the other is a devil girl," said Aura.

Indeed it was. A white-haired, dark-skinned, red-eyed oni. He was on his knees, clutching his sword in one hand. "Damn it…" he muttered.

And on the other side, a pearly-blue-haired, peach-skinned, red-eyed devil girl, on her knees, hands clutching the ground. "Ugh…" she muttered.

"Is he a child?" asked Tetsuya in confusion. Children usually didn't swear.

"It's a girl?!" exclaimed Aura.

"It's a Summon Creature from the Oni Realm of Silturn… It's an oni!" Ryouga turned to the devil. "And that's a summon creature from the Spirit Realm of Sapureth…It's a devil…"

"Why is it here?" asked Aura.

"Was it ambushed by some nasty monster?"

"What about a nasty monster?!" asked Tetsuya.

"I didn't say there was one!" shouted Ryouga to Tetsuya. "But whatever hurt these Summon Creatures this badly might still be around here somewhere. Keep your guard up, guys…"

A noise was heard, making Aura, Tetsuya, and Ryouga go "…! What's that?!" Suddenly an innocent looking rabbit hopped out from behind the oni and the devil. "…Are you telling me that's the nasty monster?" asked Tetsuya, looking disappointed.

"This cute bunny can't be a nasty monster," sighed Aura with relief.

Nasty monster? I'll show you nasty monster! The rabbit went "HISSSSSSSSSSS!" and charged at Tetsuya and Aura!

"Wahh!!" wailed Tetsuya in surprise.

"Waah!!!" yelped Aura.

It didn't take the twins long to knock the rabbit away with their hammers.

After the rabbit ran away, Ryouga and Tetsuya approached the oni. "Are you all right?" asked Ryouga to Tetsuya and Aura.

"Uh…yeah… we were just caught off guard," said Tetsuya.

Aura frowned and said, "A great Craftknight must be able to use the weapons she or he makes!"

"Okay…but why are you carrying that hammer, anyway?" asked Ryouga.

"The hammer is the soul of the Craftknight! I eat, sleep, and even take it with me to the bathroom!" said Tetsuya proudly as Aura nodded in agreement.

"Heh heh…" laughed Ryouga. "Wait, are you serious?"

"Of course we are!" said Aura.

Tetsuya turned to the oni and devil. "But what're these Summon Creatures doing here in the first place?"

"What kind of talk is that…?" asked the devil, looking up at Aura.

"Huh?" asked Aura.

The oni looked up at Tetsuya. "I…I don't really know!"

"You don't know?" repeated Tetsuya.

"That stupid animal just started attacking me for no reason, and I ran all the way here…" she looked at the oni. "I'm not sure about him, though…"

"That stupid rabbit started attacking me all of a sudden," snarled the oni, looking fierce now, "so I hit it back with and we were really mixing it up…" The oni grinned. "And, I ended up here without realizing where I was going!"

"I'm the victim here!" wailed the devil. "I think you could show me a little sympathy!"

"I'm sorry…what?" asked Aura a bit absentmindedly.

"You two probably stumbled into its territory, so it got mad and chased you both all this way. Understand?" asked Ryouga.

"Don't talk to me like that!" shouted the oni, standing up.

"Hey! I'm not some bumpkin tripping over her own feet!" shouted the devil, standing up as well.

"I was just about to beat it when you stepped in!" finished the oni.

"Really…you were about to beat it? All by yourself?" asked Ryouga doubtfully.

"That's right! You got a problem with that?!" demanded the oni.

"Watch your tongue, kid," said Ryouga, frowning. "Tetsuya here saved your disrespectful butt."

"Show me some respect!" shouted the devil, disliking being ignored.

"Same here!" growled Ryouga, disliking being showered by all this disrespect. "You should be grateful that Aura here stepped in to save you!"

"What are you talking about?" asked the devil. "It's only natural to step in and save a girl in distress."

"And I'm telling you…" added the oni. "They didn't save us at all! I was going to win! You got that!? You girly-haired jackass!"

"What?!" cried Ryouga angrily. "You think you can talk to me like that and get away with it?!"

"Oh, you wanna fight me, huh? Bring it on, punk!"

Tetsuya and Aura decided to intervene by stepping in between the three. "Hey, you two… Chill out a little."

"Come on…" said Aura with a smile.

"Grr…" growled Ryouga, looking at the insolent face of the oni and devil. "All right. Now what? You seem to be able to stay calm through this…"

"You don't have to fight each other here," said Aura matter-of-factly.

"Look at him," agreed Tetsuya with a gesture to the oni. "He's just a kid. Getting mad at him won't do any good at all." He gestured to the devil uncertainly. "And she's just…"

"Huh?! Where did this come from?" asked Ryouga, looking back and forth between Aura and Tetsuya.

"Hey!" shouted the oni. "Don't treat me like a child!"

"I told you to calm down. If you're as mature as you claim to be, you ought to listen to other people," he pointed out.

"I…uh…" the oni looked embarrassed now. "Okay…"

Ryouga stared at Tetsuya. "Man…you're cold."

"I'm used to talking to kids like him," said Tetsuya.

"Huh…you've changed since I last saw you…"

"Then you must know how special I am," said the devil.

"Special's one word for it…" said Aura mysteriously.

"…" went the devil uncertainly. "I'm not doing so well…" she looked down at her feet embarrassedly.

"Are you all right? Did that rabbit hurt you?" asked Aura in concern.

"No, no, but… my feelings are hurt!" said the devil.

"Oh, come on!" shouted Ryouga in exasperation.

"Hey, hey…" said Aura, ready to calm any arguments.

"But how did they get into the village in the first place? We have a ward around here to keep Summon Creatures away," said Tetsuya.

"A what?" asked the oni. "A ward? I don't know anything about that!"

"I didn't see a ward," said the devil.

"I guess one of the keystones might have collapsed," said Ryouga thoughtfully. "We'll have to tell the chief about that. By the way…where are your masters?" asked Ryouga to the oni and devil.

"I'm not serving anyone at the moment," said the oni. "My master died a while ago…"

"As did mine, in a war," said the devil.

"I see…" said Tetsuya sadly.

"So you're a Stay Summon…" said Aura.

"I'm sorry, but this village doesn't allow Stay Summons in," explained Ryouga.

"I see…we're weak and you're trying to kick us out, huh? Out into a place where all kinds of danger await helpless girls and children…like us…Oh, woe is me!"

"Huh, fine," scoffed the oni. "I got it. I'll get out of here, then."

"Uh, no, we didn't mean that," said Aura worriedly.

"There's a saying that if you save someone's life, that person is your responsibility until you die."

"What are you going on about?" asked Aura in confusion.

"If you're gonna give us the boot, ay least you'll escort us to a safe spot, won't you?"

"Hey, show some respect! You wouldn't be here arguing if it weren't for the three of us!"

"Oh, forget them," said the oni. "Let's just get out of here!" The devil sighed and nodded sadly. They took a step forward, but suddenly winced. "Argh…Ow!" he cried.

"Ah…Ahhhh!" yelled the devil suddenly.

They fell down again, and Aura, Tetsuya, and Ryouga ran to them. "Hey… You're injured, aren't you?" asked Tetsuya to the oni, noticing the bite mark.

"This?" asked the oni, looking brave. "This is just a flesh wound!"

"What the…what are you doing?" asked Aura to the devil.

"…" went the devil. "Oh…"

"Huh? Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry…" said the devil quietly. "I'm sorry!" She suddenly twirled, and in a flash, the devil became an angel.

"!!!" went Aura and Ryouga.

Tetsuya watched them as the oni stood up shakily. He looked at the oni and raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh…What are you going to do if you get attacked again?" asked Tetsuya.

"I don't have a choice!" shouted the oni, pain apparently forgotten. "I'll fight back, and I'll win!"

"I don't think so..." said Tetsuya, frowning in concern. "It beat you when you were in good condition. If you got attacked again, you'd die."

"I'm not gonna lose! How many times do I have to tell you?! Arrgh…" Getting riled up must have made the oni in pain again. He once again fell this his knees, clutching his side.

"…" went Tetsuya, thinking as Aura and Ryouga stared at the frantically apologizing angel girl.

"I'm sorry! I'm very sorry! Please forgive me!" wailed the angel.

"What the heck is this?" asked Ryouga.

"I'm sorry I said such terrible things when you'd helped us so much already…"

"Um… Okay," said Aura. She smiled and said, "Stop apologizing. What the heck just happened to you?" she asked suddenly, realizing the change.

"No, I must apologize," said the angel. "I don't have much control over her, but I couldn't let her get away with acting like that to you! I'm really sorry about that…"

"Huh?" asked Aura, blinking in confusion.

"I'm…sorry…" the angel frowned. "Nngh… Aaaaahhhhh!" she yelled. There was another flash, and the devil girl reappeared again, huffing on her knees. "I'm…not…apologizing…!"

"She's turned back…" said Aura, stunned.

"What the heck happened to you?" asked Ryouga.

"She's an angel…living inside me…I hate her…!" explained the devil through several huffs.

"An angel?" repeated Aura.

"I got mixed up with her somehow. She's screwed up my life ever since!

"You got mixed up with her?" asked Ryouga. "What do you mean?"

"I'm tired, and she managed to take over my body and apologize to you. I certainly wouldn't have done it!"

Tetsuya shook his head in amusement at the devil's story, and said to the oni, "Okay, okay, you beat it. I'm sorry I got in your way."

"You finally admit it," smirked the oni, still clutching his side.

"…" went Tetsuya, doing some more thinking. Then it came to him. "Will you accept my apology and come rest at our place?"

"Huh?" asked the oni.

"Yeah…" agreed Aura, looking at the devil and the oni. "You can get some rest at our place."

"Let me take care of that wound for you," offered Tetsuya with a smile. "Okay?"

"Hmm…" thought the oni. It appeared he didn't like getting help from people… though he _was_ a little injured…okay, a whole lot injured, but still…

"Ooh…" thought the devil. Getting some help and resting here would be the smarter thing to do, despite what he thinks. "Okay, I accept."

"What about you? Please?" asked Tetsuya to the oni.

"Hmm…" thought the oni. It might not be a bad idea to let this guy take care of me…well…why not? The oni smiled sheepishly and said, "Fine, if it'll shut you up."

"Good!"

"I don't know what you're thinking," said Ryouga, who was having second thoughts about the oni and devil. "Well. I'll go tell the chief about the fallen stones."

As he was walking away, Aura called, "Thanks, Ryouga!" Wait, leave us here alone with the oni and devil? "Hey, wait up!"

"What now?" asked Ryouga, stopping and turning to Aura and Tetsuya.

Tetsuya helped the oni up as Aura said, "We haven't been introduced yet, I'm Aura, and he's my twin Tetsuya. That guy's Ryouga."

"Don't call me 'that guy'," he muttered.

"Oh, sorry."

Tetsuya looked down at the oni (for the oni was a few inches shorter than Tetsuya) and asked, "What's your name?"

"…" Loki? Nah, I can't tell him that. "Loki" is such a silly name…it's not tough. Hah! I know! "I'm Rinku," said the oni…er, Rinku.

"Nice meeting you, Rinku," said Tetsuya.

"Yeah, sure…" said Rinku slowly. This guy smiles a lot…

"And what's your name?" she asked the devil.

"…" I could tell her that it's Dinah…but is "Dinah" really me? No, no, it's to angelic! I need a graceful name! I got one! "I'm Pearl," said the devil…Pearl.

"Glad to have met you," said Aura.

"Hmph. I guess it doesn't hurt to know your name," sighed Pearl. Silly Aura…

"Well then…!" said Tetsuya with a clap with his hands. "Let's go back home!"  
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**The prologue is complete! The story has to be broken down like this, little by little…I hope you don't mind. I had to redo the original fanfic so it wouldn't be so overly long. Heh…you were talking 30 pages alone in the prologue… So, review and read on!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2**

**Disclaimer: **Why bother mentioning the editions made to the fanfic? It's not like they're likely to notice anything.

**A/N: **It's only polite, after all…Yeesh. Let's continue.

**Chapter One: The Bonding Pledge  
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"How're they doing, Tatiana?" asked Tetsuya to the daughter of Blaire.

"Luckily for them, it isn't a very serious wound," said Tatiana, who had been applying a bandage to their wounds.

"Hmm…I could rest a little longer… Oh, Tatiana, did you get me something with lots of Mana, like I asked?"

"Hey! I don't like your attitude. And what's Mana, anyway?"

"Wha…? You don't know what Mana is?"

"I still hurt!" whined Rinku, feeling the bandage around the wound.

"Don't be so dramatic," said Orin, Tatiana's older brother. "It'll get better in no time. And I'll get some Mana for you," he said to Pearl.

"Orin, you're treating her too nicely! It's just because she's a girl, isn't it?"

"Why are you getting angry at me?" asked Orin. "Let them be spoiled. They're ill, you know."

"Oh, thank you, Orin!" said Pearl graciously.

"What?!" demanded Rinku.

"Hey, hey," cut in Tetsuya. "You know that Orin's worried about you."

"Hmph." Right like I need anyone to worry about me…

"Anyhow, why don't you two thank Tatiana for all she's done for you?" suggested Orin.

"Huh…I guess we did bother you guys…" admitted Rinku.

"Hey, hey…just say 'thank you' already. That's all you have to do."

"That's okay," said Tatiana. "I think they're embarrassed."

"Tee-hee…" laughed Pearl.

"H-Hey! Who's embarrassed?!" stammered Rinku. Maybe I am a little…Tetsuya shouldn't smile so much, it makes me feel embarrassed…

"No, it's not okay," argued Orin. "Rinku especially needs to learn how to act respectfully. It's for Rinku's own good."

"Oh, listen to you, grandpa!" countered Tatiana. "Lecture the kid some more, will you?"

"What?!" cried Orin.

"What?!" repeated Tatiana. "You sound like an old man!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" said Tetsuya, looking worried again. "Stop arguing in front of the wounded."

"Yes, calm down, you two," said Aura. "Remember our guests…"

"Oops…" went Tatiana. "You're right, Tetsuya, Aura."

"Yeah…I guess we were embarrassing you…"

"Yeah…" agreed Tetsuya.

"Hey, I wouldn't say we were embarrassing," said Tatiana.

"Huh?!" asked Tetsuya in confusion.

"No, she's right. Tatiana's the only one who is being embarrassing."

"I was not!" retorted Tatiana.

"Come on now," sighed Tetsuya with a smile.

Rinku turned to Tetsuya, not looking tough for once. Indeed, he looked a bit thoughtful. Is it something in Tetsuya's smile…? "I see what you meant before about handling arguments."

"Yeah," agreed Pearl, turning to Aura. Pink heads…I love the color pink… "I can see you have lots of problems here, huh?"

"You do understand, don't you?" asked Tetsuya.

"Huh…I didn't expect to hear that from you," smiled Aura.

Someone came up from the below room, and heard the voices. "Oh…do we have a guest visiting us?"

"Oh, Master," acknowledged Aura and Tetsuya.

Blaire walked to the scene. "Welcome to Craftknights Blaire's place…Hey, Summon Creatures. We don't get too many of them around here. Where're your master?"

"Uh…" stalled Tetsuya.

"Well…" stalled Aura.

Rinku went straight to the point. "I don't have a master."

"Neither do I," said Pearl.

"That mean…You're Stay Summons. Is that right?"

"Yes…" agreed Tetsuya as Aura nodded agreement.

"Hmm…what are we going to do now?" asked Orin.

"Yeah…" said Tatiana. "Stray Summons aren't allowed to enter this village."

"I know!" said Rinku. "I was invited here!

"Yeah, we're only here because Aura and Tetsuya invited me and Rinku here…"

Rinku sighed frustrated and said, "W-We'll just be going, then!"

"Hey, at least have them escort us to a place that is safe and filled with Mana," she said to Rinku. "I'm older then you, listen to me! Ah…!" she shouted suddenly. "I…am…sorry…"

"Don't do that thing again…" said Rinku.

"I'm sorry!!!" Pearl changed into Angel-Pearl.

"Whoa! She transformed!" exclaimed Tatiana.

"Oh, no! I'm very sorry!" wailed the angel.

"Hey, Aura, Tetsuya, what's going on?" asked Orin.

"Yeah, Pearl said that there's an angel inside her. I guess it comes out whenever she gets too nasty."

"That's a rare Summon Creature," commented Blaire.

"I'm very sorry that we said such terrible things to you--after you let us into your home! Oh, dear!"

"That's okay. That's not your fault…is it?" asked Aura.

"Yes, it is…I cant control her emotions, and she says such horrible things… Please excuse us! We'll be out of here right away!" wailed Angel-Pearl.

"Oh…are you taking off already?" asked Tatiana.

"Why don't you rest up until you can get better?" asked Orin.

"Please, just let us leave you alone and not bother you anymore! I'm sorry…Nngh…Aaaaahhhhh!" And in a flash, she became Pearl again.

"Look, let's just go," snarled Rinku impatiently to the huffing Pearl.

"But…you might get attacked again," said Tetsuya.

Again with his pointless concerns! "If that happens, I'll keep on fighting back until I can't anymore. I already told you that!" Tetsuya looked ready to argue again, so Rinku added, "And if you try to keep me here…I'll fight you, too!"

The whole room went "!!!".

"You'll fight me?" asked Tetsuya. "You?" he glared and asked, "Do you really think you can beat me, even though you're still hurt?"

"Do you think I can't?!" demanded Rinku angrily.

"Hey, you two," said Tatiana quietly, sensing an argument.

"No, I'm cool," said Tetsuya, though he still glared. "I can handle this."

"You want to fight me, huh?! I won't have a problem beating you!"

"I don't mind, but why don't you take a moment to think about what you're suggesting? I fought the giant rabbit. Remember the rabbit? The one YOU couldn't beat? Do you still think you can defeat me now?"

"Don't underestimate me!" shouted Rinku. "I'll beat you!"

Pearl caught her breath and stood up, dusting herself off in disgust. "That stupid angel…that's twice she made me apologize in one day…"

They were about to leave when Blaire laughed. "Ha ha ha ha! You two stop right there," said Blaire to Rinku and Pearl. "I can see that you two get along well."

"Huh?!" went Tetsuya and Rinku in unison. "Are you listening to the same conversation as I am?!"

"What?!" demanded Aura and Pearl together. "Are you paying attention?!"

"No, I can see it too," said Tatiana.

"…" went Tetsuya, Aura, Pearl, and Rinku.

"Listen, Rinku, Pearl…we're a family of Craftknights."

"Craftknights?" repeated Rinku and Pearl. "Are those the guys that melt iron…And hammer stuff to make stuff?" added Rinku curiously.

"You mean those who melt metal…and then hammer that to make things, right?" asked Pearl.

"A Craftknight basically makes weapons," explained Orin.

"We have a workshop in the basement," said Blaire. "Would you like to check it out?"

With that, Blaire, Orin, and Tatiana lead Pearl and Rinku downstairs. "Come with us, you two!" said Blaire from below.

"Uh…wait…" Aura and Tetsuya hurriedly followed the five downstairs, and came in to hear Blare describing the area.

"This is our workshop," said Blaire. "We make our weapons here."

"The unique thing about Craftknights is that we can borrow the power of their Guardian Beast to help us. With their assistance, we can make some special weapons that can't be made with fire and steel alone," explained Orin.

"We must also train ourselves to be effective with our weapons," added Tatiana. "Those who know how to use weapons are better at understanding how to make them, you see."

"So they make their own weapons and use them in combat? That's cool!" said Rinku.

"It's pretty hot down here," muttered Pearl.

"And now, Pearl, Rinku…" started Blaire. "How would you like to be a Guardian Beast for Tetsuya and Aura?"

"…!" went Tetsuya. "A Guardian Beast?!"

"This is pretty sudden!" exclaimed Aura.

Rinku turned to Tetsuya. "A Guardian Beast?" he repeated. "Are you saying I'll have to be a bodyguard?"

Pearl turned to Aura. "A Guardian Beast?" she repeated. "Hey, are you telling me to protect Aura?"

"The role of a Guardian Beast is to ensure the safety of the group," explained Blaire. "There are many dangers involved in collecting materials, but there's more to it then just that. What I mean is… It must become a partner to it's master in order to make superior weaponry…"

"A partner to forge weapons?" asked Rinku and Pearl.

"How it usually works is that Guardian Beasts are called by a Summon Talisman only when forging a weapon, like I do. But," added Blaire, "that is not going to work in your cases."

"What's in it for us?" frowned Rinku.

"Yeah," agreed Pearl. "Why should we agree to this proposal?

"Let me be blunt: We can't allow Stray Summons in this village. Even if we were to kick you two out, Aura and Tetsuya might be punished just for bringing you and Rinku here."

"R-Really?" stammered Tetsuya.

"Oh…what did we get ourselves into?" sighed Aura.

"If you become Aura's and Tetsuya's Guardian Beast," finished Blaire, "you won't be a Stray Summon anymore, and you can stay. Not only that, but you'll have a new partner! Everybody comes out ahead!"

"Yes, indeed!" agreed Tatiana happily. "You're so luck, guys!"

"Hey, please wait a second… Master!" protested Aura.

"What's wrong?" asked Blaire.

"I know Orin has a Summon Talisman to summon his Guardian Beast, but that shouldn't be necessary with me and Tetsuya!"

Rinku didn't appreciate being spoken about like that. With a twitch mark over his head he growled, "Don't treat us like an object!"

"Hey…" said Pearl more calmly. "You can't just treat us as objects to be passed around, you know!"

"Uh…I didn't mean it like that," muttered Tetsuya in defense.

Pink haired innocence? It was a cover-up! I knew it! "I see how it is…" Pearl started quietly.

So much for a nice smile! I'm outta here! "I don't care! I'm done with you! I'm not going to have anything to do with humans again! Let me go!" snarled Rinku.

Blaire took a sympathetic approach. "Rinku, Pearl…I don't know your stories, but you may have suffered at the hands of humans. You were summoned to this world and lived as a Stray Summon, but…can't you trust a human…Aura and Tetsuya…one more time?"

"…" Pearl and Rinku thought about it. "Oh, man…" Stay, or don't stay?

"Trust Aura and Tetsuya, huh?" she asked.

"It wasn't just a coincidence that the twins brought you here. Aura and Tetsuya rescued you, and brought you here out of pure goodwill. It makes sense to me that you four ought to make a pledge to be partners."

"That's not what happened!" argued Rinku. "Nobody rescued me!"

"Well, Aura does have a duty to protect me," said Pearl, ignoring Rinku.

"Wait…" said Tetsuya, frowning as he thought about it. "If we had to rescue them, what makes you think they'd be good Guardian Beasts?"

"Hey…Are you saying we can't protect you?" demanded Rinku.

"Do you think you can protect me?" asked Tetsuya.

"There's no doubt in my mind!" snarled Rinku eagerly. I'll show you what I can do! I'm strong! I can beat you down right here and now!" (has anyone ever noticed that he's missing a tooth when he's doing the smile he's currently doing now? I just did.)

"This again? You really want to try it?"

"There's no need to fight," said Pearl to Rinku. "They obviously need a little lady and a kid like us around to protect their miserable hides."

"What?!" cried Aura. "I said no such thing!"

"Hehehe…" laughed Orin. "Seeing them does make me think that they'll be a good team!"

"Not a chance! No way!" shouted Pearl, Aura, Rinku, and Tetsuya in unison. They must have realized that they spoke in unison, and all looked embarrassed now. They went. "Uh…" at the same time.

"You'll work well together!" said Tatiana happily.

"…" went Tetsuya and Rinku, smiling sheepishly at each other.

"…" went Aura and Pearl, staring at each other blankly.

"Then it's a deal!" exclaimed Blaire.

"What?!" went Pearl, Aura, Rinku, and Tetsuya together again.

"All right!" cheered Tatiana. "It's not official until the Bonding Pledge is publicly signed, so I'll go gather everyone to the monument square. Let's go, Pearl, Rinku!"

"Uh…" said Rinku.

"Hey, wait…" said Pearl.

"Catch up with me later!" she said to Tetsuya. With that, she cheerfully took Rinku and Pearl and went upstairs, Orin following her.

"Tetsuya, Aura…" started Blaire.

"Yes, Master?" asked Aura.

"You're both good kids."

Which probably wasn't what the twins were expecting. "Where did that come from all of a sudden? What are you plotting?" they asked.

"Hehehe…" chuckled Blaire mischievously. "Nothing harmful, I promise you. If you want to be a successful Craftknight, you have to be honest and faithful to your new partners. Just remember that being nice isn't the same thing as being honest. But, don't worry! This'll all turn out fine! Keep that in mind!"

"Master…" Aura nodded. "I will, sir!"

"As will I," agreed Tetsuya.

"Okay, I'll head out now. The pact signing will be held in the stone monument square. Don't be late." With that, Blaire walked up the stairs.

"Well…Let's get going," decided Tetsuya. He and Aura walked up the stairs and out the door. "The monument square is up the first path from here," he said.

"Our own Guardian Beasts!" squealed Aura. "I'm pretty stoked!"

So they excitedly ran all the way to the monument square, where the town had gathered to witness the Bonding Pledge.

"There you are, Tetsuya, Aura," said Orin when he noticed said Craftknights. "Pearl and Rinku already made their decision," he announced happily.

"Stop dawdling," said Rinku. "You're not making me look good here. I'll be Guardian Beast for Tetsuya," he said.

"I don't really have much choice," sighed Pearl. "I'm Guardian Beast to Aura. I suppose I'd better make a good impression."

Tetsuya smiled and asked, "You two suddenly care about what other people think?"

"With the chiefs permission," said Tatiana, "you'll be accepted as Tetsuya's and Aura's Guardian Beasts."

"Permission from the chief?" asked Pearl.

Rinku added, "Don't we need a Summoner to make this thing official?"

"We don't have any around here. So once the chief says it's okay, we'll accept you as Guardian Beasts."

"It's just a ritual these days…" said Tatiana quietly. She then noticed the chief. "Oh! There's the chief!"

Indeed, the chief stepped down the steps of the monument to center-stage. "Now, let us proceed to the signing of the Bonding Pledge."

"That geezer's talking about pledging and bonds and stuff. Isn't he a Summoner?" asked Rinku.

"Watch your mouth!" hissed Tetsuya. "That's the chief! But if I remember correctly," added Tetsuya, "he's a descendant of a Summoner."

"You're right about that," said the chief. Odd, he has no name other then "chief"… "I'm from a family of Summoners, just like Aura and Tetsuya Colthearts!"

"You have a last name?" asked Pearl in surprise.

"You, Blaire, Orin, and Tatiana… You're Summoners and Craftknights?" asked Rinku in surprise.

"Not really," said Aura sadly.

"Our real dad died when we were little," explained Tetsuya sadly.

"Blaire's not your real father?" asked Rinku, looking surprised.

"We were raised by Blaire, who was a friend of our dad's…" said Aura.

"…" went Pearl and Rinku, looking sympathetic…I guess.

"My ancestors were involved in sealing Goura, you know! When I was young, I used to use great summon spells handed down through my family to call upon the powers of great and terribly Summon Creatures!"

"Bear with him…" whispered Tetsuya to Rinku. "This story is really long…"

"Yeah, be warned," whispered Aura to Pearl. "He can go on for hours…"

"Really?" asked Rinku. "I'd like to hear more if he's a great Summoner!" he grinned and added, "I want to fight him. So I'd better listen up."

"You're an idiot," said Pearl to Aura. "You ought to appreciate history. Was he really a great Summoner?"

"I've never actually seen him summon anything, though," added Tetsuya.

"Uh…"

"…so anyway, this beautiful young lady came to my hut and asked for my help, which I was happy to give!" said the chief, Apparently, he was continuing his story despite the interruptions. "Oh, she was wonderful… She made the most delightful cookies…and we shared a mug of hot cocoa later…

"…" went Rinku and Pearl with a sheepish smile as he listened to the chiefs story. It WAS a rather long story…

**A few hours later…**

And the chief wasn't done yet. "…and the weather in the mountains changes so quickly that you can be in danger if you're not careful. Which reminds me of the time I kept bees for a couple of years. Bees make the sweetest honey…"

"Yo, Tetsuya," said Rinku quietly to Tetsuya.

"Hey, Aura," said Pearl quietly to Aura.

"Zzzzzzzz…" Aura and Tetsuya had nodded off and was jolted awake by Pearl's and Rinku's voice. "Huh? What? Uh…" Tetsuya stifled a yawn and muttered, "I was falling asleep…"

"Me, too," sighed Aura."

"This story has nothing to do with us! And he shows no signs of shutting up!" hissed Rinku.

"I told you, the chief's story gets really long once he gets going," said Aura.

"I don't think I can take much more of this…" hissed Rinku, looking rather agitated and impatient.

"There's a limit!" seethed Pearl. "He should have died of old age by now!"

The chief turned to the four of them. "…" he let out a pointed cough and said, "I'm not death, you know."

Craftknights and Summon Creatures jumped and stood straight. "Ahaha…Sorry," said Rinku.

"What…?" asked Pearl.

"So, Aura and Tetsuya," said the chief, finally getting to the point. "Will you make an oath in front of us that you accept Pearl and Rinku in front of your Guardian Beast?"

"Yes…I will," said Aura.

"Yes…I will," echoed Tetsuya.

"All righty!" said the chief. "I hereby approve Pearl and Rinku as an official Guardian Beasts! This will conclude the pledge signing."

"What? That's it?" asked Rinku, looking shocked. "Just like that, I'm now your Guardian Beast?!"

"That's all you had to do to make me your Guardian Beast?!"

"Uh…yeah," said Tetsuya.

"That's right," said Aura.

"Are you disappointed?" asked the chief. "Well then, I'll explain how the oath ceremony started… All the Summoners went off to war in the great Fennel Riots several decades ago, so a council…"

"No, no!" shouted Rinku. "It's okay! I'm Tetsuya's Guardian Beast!"

"No, please, I'm more than happy to be Aura's Guardian Beast!"

_I know he doesn't want to hear the chief any longer,_ thought Tetsuya with a worried smile.

_She's bored by the chief…so was I,_ thought Aura with a worried sigh.

"Serve your master well and protect the town as a Guardian Beast of an Edge Fencer."

"An Edge Fencer?" repeated Rinku.

"What's that?" asked Pearl.

"It's Aura and Tetsuya. The Colthearts clan has unlocked the power to use a magic sword to seal Goura within this village. For generations, they have protected the seal keeping the evil Summon Creature Goura imprisoned."

"It's not that difficult," said Tetsuya modestly.

"No, it's rather easy," agreed Aura.

"You too, Tetsuya, Aura. Take good care of Rinku and Pearl from now on."

"Wait," said Rinku, "I may not know about the ceremony, but I do know that the Guardian Beast protects a master! That means I'm the one who has to take care of Tetsuya!" finished Rinku with a proud smirk.

"Yeah, Aura…I'm your Guardian Beast now! You have to protect me from anything dangerous that could kill me!

"Hehehe…" laughed Aura and Tetsuya to themselves uncertainly.

"Now that the ceremony's over…" started Blaire.

"Huh? Now what?" asked Aura.

"You need to practice making weapons!" said Blaire.

"What?!" I think it's better to go around and introduce Rinku to everyone in the village," cried Tetsuya in shock.

"Quit procrastinating!" shouted Blaire. "All four of you, into the workshop! Move! Go, go, go!"

"All right, all right!" relented Tetsuya and Aura.  
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**Well, here we go! Thus endeth chapter one!  
Mario: **It's a bit abrupt if you ask me…  
**Well…I needed to find a stopping point, you know? It's still a great prologue; nice, and long! Lots of quality! And, of course not one word out of context! I'm good!  
Mario: **…a few are…  
…**well, it had to make sense, you know. Wow…30 pages long. Don't forget to review now! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2**

**Disclaimer: **Man, that was a long prologue. Is the rest of this fanfic gonna be that long? I hope not…

**A/N: **Hey, what does that mean? Some people like long stories and chapters!  
**Mario: **Yes, but not when they're too long.  
**Me: **…eh heh heh. Yeah, probably. Whatever…let's carry on with the fanfic!

**Chapter Two: Promises You Must Keep  
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Ryouga and Lynn had been there to watch the ceremony. After Blaire left, Ryouga said, "Hey, Tetsuya, Aura."

"Yeah, you two…Ryouga and Lynn…" started Tetsuya.

"I'm sorry it's getting hectic…" said Aura.

"Don't worry about us," said Lynn.

"Yeah, you shouldn't be running around too much in the sun. It'll make your skin look old," teased Ryouga. "You're not so young yourself, Lynn!"

"Well, everybody gets older," acknowledged Lynn with a smile. Then she realized she was being insulted. "Hey! What are you talking about? I'm still young!" Her eyes softened and she asked quietly, "Do you want to see something to prove it?" She turned to the twins and reached a hand towards her shirt. "Check these out, Aura and Tetsuya!"

Lynn thrust her arms apart, showing them a sexy body. "What?! Whoa!" they gasped in surprise, blushing a little. She hadn't done anything weird, after all! Goodness! "Wait, Lynn?!"

"Hee hee…I'm just kidding," she said, picking her shawls back up. "You're both so cute when you get all flustered."

"I…uh…" Tetsuya frowned, albeit still blushing.

"Don't tease me!" shouted Aura, blushed with embarrassment.

"You're blushing," teased Rinku to Tetsuya. "Heh heh heh!"

"Master!" gasped Pearl in mock surprise to Aura. "You should be in more control! Don't get embarrassed!"

"Just…shut up!" wailed Tetsuya.

"Er…never mind," sighed Aura.

"Hey, you two," said Ryouga. "Don't forget about the promise you made! You don't have to do it today, just remember it!"

"Oh, yeah," said Tetsuya. "The ruin, right? Of course!" said Tetsuya was a determined smirk.

"A Craftknight's word is stronger than the mightiest chain!" agreed Aura.

"Hehehe…all right. I'll wait for you at home. Come and pick me up when you're ready to go."

"Okay. Then we'll meet you at your place," said Aura.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Lynn suspiciously.

"Uh…nothing special," said Aura and Tetsuya innocently.

"Isn't Master Blaire waiting for you guys?" asked Ryouga, changing the subject. "You'd better hurry over there!"

"Uh…yeah," agreed Tetsuya. "Let's go, Rinku!"

"Come on, Pearl," agreed Aura.

"Cool!" said Rinku.

"Well…all right…" sighed Pearl.

"Master is waiting for us," said Tetsuya to Rinku as the two headed back to Blaire's house while Aura and Pearl ran ahead. "We need to get back to the workshop!"

"Forging practice, huh?" asked Rinku. "I'll win, no matter what!"

"It's not a contest," said Tetsuya nervously. "We're supposed to help each other!"

Aura waited for the two at the door and turned to Pearl. "Are you ready?"

"You go first," insisted Pearl. "I'll watch what you do, and then I'll do it better," she said with a smirk.

"We don't take turns," insisted Aura as Tetsuya and Rinku drew nearer. "We have to work together!"

They went to Blaire's house and went downstairs. Blaire noticed them and waved them over. "Now it's time for you to learn the basics of being a Craftknight…"

"Hang in there!" said Tatiana.

"Um…okay," said Rinku.

"I guess I don't have a choice," said Pearl.

"Take good care now," said Orin.

"By the way, you two, as Rinku's and Pearl's master…can you explain how to make weapons?"

"I'll try, but…" Tetsuya saddened a bit unconfidently. "Well…uh…I'm not that good at explaining things…"

"What?!" demanded Blaire. "This is unacceptable! You may be an apprentice, but you're still a Craftknight! Not being able to explain the smithing process makes you a failure! I know I'm not a bad teacher, so you must be a bad student!"

"I'm sorry, m-master!" said Tetsuya sadly. "Please forgive me!"

"Master! Of course I can!" said Aura more determinedly. "Gather the materials and determine the type of and strength of the weapon! Use a furnace to compound them! Use the hammer, the very symbol of a Craftknight, to shape the weapon! That is the process!" Tetsuya sighed sadly, as Aura was always better at things then he was. Of course SHE'D remember.

"Did you get that, Rinku and Pearl!?" asked Blaire.

"Whoa, okay!" said Rinku, surprised by Blaire's enthusiasm.

"That sounds easy," said Pearl.

"Don't get too enthusiastic! Craftknighthood is serious business! Forging can cost your life if you're not careful! You must pour your soul into it and focus your spirit!" shouted Blaire.

Rinku said, "The old man's attitude changed. He looks so frustrated…"

"He's changed somehow," agreed Pearl. "He looks like a completely different person…"

"He's incredibly focused on the subject of weapon smithing," agreed Tetsuya.

"Oh, and one more thing, Pearl and Rinku: You will call me 'Master' within these walls! Did you hear me?!" shouted Blaire.

"Okay, I got it!" shouted Rinku.

"All right! All right!" shouted Pearl.

Blaire was a guy who demanded respect, too. "YOU WILL RESPOND! 'MASTER! YES, MASTER!' DO YOU HEAR ME!?" screamed Blaire.

"Master! Yes, Master!" shouted Rinku and Pearl.

"To become a real Craftknight," said Blaire, more calm now, "you must collect your own materials to make weapons. We can collect them in the forest around here, but there are many Stray Summons in the area. Danger is always just around the corner when doing a Craftknights work! But, as a Craftknight, you must have the superb ability to battle using a weapon of your own design!"

"We get to fight, huh!?" asked Rinku excitedly. "I'll look forward to it!"

"Hey…" said Pearl slowly. "Are you really going to put my life in danger? You swore an oath!"

"Look, you're supposed to be looking for materials, not Strays to fight. Don't be foolish," said Orin. "You can refine and strengthen your weapon in combat. That's an important thing to remember."

"It'd be nice if you could use those machines that Tetsuya broke the other day," sighed Tatiana. "Especially the ones Aura tried to repair afterwards… That way, it'd be safe and you wouldn't have to risk yourself."

"Huh…All of us have something we're not good at," admitted Aura.

"Hey, we all have our weak points," shouted Tetsuya in his defense. "Ours is machinery. Yours happens to be cooking!"

"My cooking is just fine!" protested Tatiana.

"Yeah, don't blame her; she used to eat dirt as a little kid. Her taste buds are all screwed up!" teased Orin.

"Do you have a problem with my cooking?!" demanded Tatiana. "Just because you're great at it doesn't mean you have to be a complete jerk!"

"I'm good with machines, too," added Orin.

"Ugh…" sighed Tetsuya.

"Strangely enough, Tetsuya and Aura are terrible with machines, but can still build a drill…"

"It's because we're Craftknight!" said Tetsuya. Aura nodded agreement.

"…" went Rinku, looking uncertain. "…yeah? So? That's it?"

Pearl made a "that doesn't make sense" face and asked, "You're trained in drills, but any other machine is a mystery to you?"

"Yeah!" agreed Tetsuya stubbornly.

"It's just that simple!" agreed Aura.

"Cut the chatter!" shouted Blaire. "Now…do you understand the most important point I've made so far?"

"We fight and we win!" said Rinku.

"Don't put me in danger!" added Pearl.

Blaire had had enough of insolence. A twitch mark appeared over his head, and the camera goes up close (and I mean close) to his eyes. "No!" he shouted.

"…" went the two Summon Creatures again. "Well…what is it then?"

"It's the hammer! We forge weapons with the hammer!"

"A hammer?" they repeated, looking surprised.

"Yes, it's a hammer," agreed Blaire. "You will practice using it until you can use it well! Swing it 100 times!"

"A hundred?!" repeated Rinku. "I suppose I can consider it a workout… A battle with myself, maybe?"

"Oh, come on!" shouted Pearl. "You want me to lift this heavy thing over and over?"

"He made me do that when I started out, too," said Tetsuya with a smile.

"Yeah, that takes me back…Good luck!" said Aura cheerily.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Blaire. "You get to do it as well! You're their masters!"

"Awwww…" groaned Tetsuya and Aura. They had been hoping to skip this bit.

"No time to complain! Well then… Start practicing now!"

**So they practice swinging hammers for a few hours…**

"Hmm…Let's stop hammer practice now," said Blaire.

"Did you see that!?" asked Rinku excitedly. "It's my deadly six-beat hammer play! Wah! Hoo! Hah! Yaa!"

"That was four beats," sighed Tetsuya, who had counted the beats.

"I think that we've been doing this for too long…Oh, my Mana is…" Pearl sighed sadly and Aura turned to her.

"It looks like it ran out…" Aura didn't quite get it, though.

"Well, that wasn't good, but it wasn't awful either. Now we'll use a real weapon, then call it a day."

"Haha!" laughed Rinku. "Finally!"

"More?" wailed Pearl. "Aww…"

"Now you get to find your own materials!" said Blaire.

"!!!" went the four apprentices. "Hey, Master!" said Aura, surprised.

"I think we're pushing Rinku and Pearl too hard now…" added Tetsuya tentatively.

"Hmm…Well, it is the first day for them. I'll make an exception, and give them to you."

"That's a relief…" sighed Tetsuya.

"First, you must determine what type of weapon you are able to make!" Blaire handed them a Sword Shapestone. "There are 5 types of weapons you can make: sword, axe, spear, knuckle, and drill! The Shapestone I just gave you will allow you to make a sword!"

"Awesome!" said Rinku eagerly. "A sword!"

"A sword?" repeated Pearl. "I see!"

"And…" continued Blaire, "this is the material that will determine the strength of the completed sword!" With that, Blaire handed them an iron ore.

"Cool!" exclaimed Rinku, looking the Shapestone and ore up and down.

"Let me see…" Pearl thought back on their lessons and said, "We need to mix these two materials in a furnace, right?"

"And forge them with the hammer to finish it!" concluded Aura.

"Now…let's try it!" said Blaire.

The four headed for the crafting area. "Let's start forging," said Aura to the three of them.

"Try to beat me!" challenged Rinku.

"We're not fighting!" said Tetsuya.

Pearl sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

"Such enthusiasm…" sighed Aura worriedly. "We're destined for greatness, I can tell."

So Aura, Tetsuya, Pearl, and Rinku took their places beside the anvil and got to work. After a while, they were ready to shape the sword with the hammer to finish the weapon! Hence commenced the six-beat hammer play! 123456...(-fanfare plays-) The Amateur Knife was finished!

"We did it!" cheered Aura and Tetsuya.

"Hmm…" muttered Blaire, giving the knife a critical eye. "It's a decent sword. You did well, too, Rinku and Pearl."

"I did well because Master taught me well!" said Rinku happily, his face flushed with excitement.

"All right, already," sighed Tetsuya. Which master; Blaire or me?

"I did well, thanks to you, Master," said Pearl with more humility.

"You need to compliment your partner and cooperate when forging weapons, or you'll never get anywhere," said Blaire.

"Yes, Master," said Aura.

"Now we can end training today…" said Blaire. "You did well, so I'll award you with…the sweets I got from Tatiana earlier!"

"!!!" went Tetsuya. "Hey! Wait a sec, Master!"

"And you guys will sleep in the workshop from now on!" declared Blaire.

"What?!" went Tetsuya and Rinku in unison.

"Down here?!" went Aura and Pearl in unison.

"Living together in the workshop will teach you many meaningful things about being a Craftknight."

"But…I thought this was your room, Master Blaire!" protested Tetsuya.

"Don't worry about me," assured Blaire. "I'll take your guy's room!" said Blaire cheerfully.

"Huh?! Wait!" cried Tetsuya suddenly, looking frantic. "Don't look under the mattress!"

"My clothes are in there!" added Aura.

"Well, I'll be going!" said Blaire cheerfully still. "Good night!" he left the room cheerily whistling as he went up the stairs.

"Huh…" sighed Tetsuya, looking worried. "I guess we can't change his mind…"

"I guess he has good intentions, but I wish he'd tell us why he's doing this!" said Aura, worried still.

"I guess so," said Rinku and Pearl, who didn't seem to mind having to share a room with Tetsuya and Aura.

"It's not like we have a choice," thought Tetsuya aloud. "He is our Master!"

"Let's concentrate on honing out Craftknight skills. Maybe they'll bring in more beds for all four of us," said Aura hopefully.

"It looks like that's all we can do at this point," sighed Pearl.

"Why do we have to sleep down here?" asked Rinku, observing the room. "Why don't I have my own bed?" he asked in afterthought, glancing at the lone bed in the corner of the room. He then noticed the candy left on the table and asked, "What are you going to do with the candy we got from Tatiana?"

"Huh?" asked Tetsuya. He held up a chocolate and asked, "Do you want it?"

"I don't want them," said Pearl, frowning in distaste. "You can have them."

"Really? You don't want any?" asked Aura.

"Well…" Rinku frowned. "As long as you're offering…"

"It's yours!" said Pearl. "Eat it already!"

"Oh, I see…" I don't want it either… "Fine, Rinku. You can have it," assured Tetsuya with another happy smile, holding the candy out to Rinku.

"What really? You don't want it? Are you sure I can eat it?!" asked Rinku in shock. He is a nice guy! What a pushover!

"Maybe it isn't a good idea for children to get too much sugar," decided Tetsuya, pulling the candy out of Rinku's reach.

Rinku snatched one and ate it. "I'm not a child!" he claimed, then let out a nice loud, childish burp.

"Excuse you!" exclaimed Tetsuya, affronted.

Maybe I'll have some too… Aura decided not to let Rinku suffer alone and took a few chocolates, too.

**Later on that night…**

Rinku and Aura sat on the floor, clutching their stomach. Tetsuya looked down at Rinku concerned and asked, "Are you all right, Rinku?"

"You're so brave," added Pearl to Aura. "Are you okay?"

"I think I threw up in my mouth a little…" groaned Rinku. "I thought I was gonna die! Blech…"

"I'll be fine…I won't die…" groaned Aura. "I'm just tired…"

"Stop bellyaching!" said Tetsuya good-naturedly.

"Can we go for a walk?" asked Rinku. "I think I need some fresh air…"

"Really? I guess a lot of stuff happened today…" Tetsuya smiled and nodded. "Let's go for a walk together."

"Right on!" said Rinku happily.

"I'm kind of tired, so not today…" muttered Aura, rubbing her stomach again.

"Hey! What kind of Master are you?!" demanded Pearl. "Your Guardian Beast tells you when she wants to go out…Take her out somewhere!"

"Oh, for crying out loud…" sighed Aura irately. "If it'll shut you up, then fine! I'll take you for a walk."

"Where are we headed then?" asked Rinku.

"Uh…Why don't we go to where our old house was?" suggested Tetsuya.

"You're old house?" asked Rinku and Pearl.

**So Tetsuya leads the three to where their old house once stood…**

"Here we are," said Tetsuya.

"Yeah…the night breeze feels so good. I'm not so tired anymore," said Aura.

"Is this place special to you?" asked Rinku, looking around. "This is where we met for the first time, isn't it?!"

"We first met here, yes," said Pearl.

"Yes…" agreed Tetsuya.

"We used to live around here when Father was alive," said Aura.

"You used to live here?" Rinku looked around the area again.

"It was so long ago…I can't remember much about our home here."

"But for some reason, we always feel relaxed whenever we visit. So we come here, sometimes alone or together, when we're feeling stressed. This is also where we met Ryouga for the first time…"

"What happened to your house here?" said Rinku curiously.

"I bet you lost your house because of something stupid you did, right?" asked Pearl, looking uncertain.

"No!" disagreed Aura.

"Do you remember when the chief said that there are ruins sealing off the evil Summon Creature Goura?" started Tetsuya.

"What?!" demanded Rinku in shock. "Your house was destroyed by Goura!?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Pearl in shock.

"No, no," disagreed Tetsuya. "Let me continue. It was summoned a long time ago, but it was too powerful for any Summoner to control…They couldn't even send it back to it's own world, so they needed to seal it within the ruins here. There was a bad Summoner called Guren who tried to set it free."

"What an idiot! Did he really think he could do anything with a creature that strong?!" asked Pearl in disgust.

"What was he planning to do with Goura once he set it free?" asked Rinku, looking really shocked.

"I heard that he was so confident in his abilities that he thought he'd be able to control Goura's power." Tetsuya saddened. "He went on a rampage in the village while trying to undo the seal…"

"And that's when you lost your home," finished Rinku.

"So Guren was the one who destroyed your house," said Pearl.

"Yeah…" Tetsuya looked down, apparently unable to continue.

Aura, the stronger one, went on. "Father, Master Blaire, and everybody in the village…They fought together to defeat Guren. Our house was destroyed in the battle and we were badly hurt. Father died while using the power of the Edge Fencer to rescue us…"

"…" went Rinku, looking sympathetic.

"I see…" said Pearl slowly.

"They say Mother died right after we was born."

"So…we were all alone in the world," said Tetsuya, sadder.

"Tetsuya…" started Rinku, not knowing what to say.

"There's nothing wrong with being alone...sometimes…" Pearl said, but even she felt sorry for the twins.

"But Blaire took us in and adopted us as his children," continued Aura. "I knew that he was going through a hard time then because he lost his wife in the destruction…"

"…" Rinku and Pearl didn't say anything.

"Aura was fine and befriended Orin and Tatiana easily. I wasn't as strong as her. I had some trouble fitting in," admitted Tetsuya, letting a smile come across his face, "but eventually I made friends with Orin and Tatiana." Aura smiled as Tetsuya looked up at Aura, Rinku, and Pearl. "I'm not alone any longer! Aura is older than me by ten seconds, and she never left me."

"Aw, I know," said Aura.

"And now we have you as partners, Rinku and Pearl," said Tetsuya.

"Hehehe…" laughed Rinku, going bright red. "Exactly! Don't worry, Master! I'm here for you!"

"I did make that stupid oath, but I did promise to you…" Pearl looked serious and said, "It sounds like a lot of work, but I have to try my best."

"Thanks, Rinku and Pearl," said Tetsuya gratefully.

"We're counting on you," said Aura.

"Remember, you have to protect me, too," said Pearl.

"I know that," agreed Aura happily.

"Uh…" went Pearl, suddenly blushing. "Okay then…You'll have to do anything I ask from now on!" Oh, where did that come from!

"That's not part of the deal," sighed Aura.

"Huh! I'm your Guardian Beast! I have very delicate sensibilities. You don't want to hurt my feelings! Ugh…"

"Oh, this again," said Aura. In a flash, sure enough, out came Angel-Pearl.

"I'm sorry!" wailed Angel-Pearl.

"That's okay," said Aura.

"I became your Guardian Beast, Master Aura! So…I have to do my best to protect you!" vowed Angel-Pearl determinedly.

"Yes. I'm counting on you," agreed Aura.

"Thank you very much!" said Angel-Pearl. "And…please forgive this child. She doesn't really mean to be such a terrible person…"

"Really?" asked Aura.

"She's embarrassed that she can't control me, so she acts out of anger and says awful things…"

There was a flash and Pearl yelled, "Get out of my mind! Darn it…She didn't need to say all that…"

"Are you all right?" asked Aura.

"I was enjoying myself, but she keeps ruining my fun…I'm going back home now…!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Aura watched Pearl walk away, and said to Tetsuya, "I guess I'll go back with her. Will you two stay here?"

"For a little bit longer, yeah," said Tetsuya.

"All right," said Aura. "Good night, you two." She left after Pearl, leaving Tetsuya and Rinku alone.

"Unlike that Pearl, I'm sworn to protect you, Master! I'll fight anything that gets in our way!" said Rinku.

"Hmm…" said Tetsuya, looking worried. "I don't think that's all you need to do…"

"What? Do you still think I'm weak? Let's fight, right here!"

"And what are you going to do it you defeat me?" asked Tetsuya with a smile. "Didn't you just say you swore an oath to protect me? Are you going back on your word?"

"Uh…" Rinku looked embarrassed now. "No, I guess not…" Lets strike a compromise. "Well then, show me an enemy and I'll prove to you what I'm capable of!"

Tetsuya sighed. "Being a Craftknight isn't all about fighting, you know."

"Damn it!" Rinku felt frustrated when being talked down like this. Fighting is what I live for! "What the hell do you expect me to do for you, then?!"

"Like Blaire said…" said Tetsuya calmly. "Let's just make weapons together."

"Oh, right!" said Rinku, a bit sheepishly. "Hammer time! Heh heh…"

"I really have to count on you…" said Tetsuya. They stayed there a little longer, possibly all night.  
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**That's good so far…good, ii, bein, ben, bon! Heh…right. Let's continue.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2**

**Disclaimer: **Moving on. I suppose. We're getting pretty far into the fanfic. But we're still haven't reached the good point yet. Though I wonder how you plan on doing the evening strolls…you had Tetsuya go to Rinku all the time, and CoolBluberry went to Pearl twice, Gabriel once, and Lynn three times…sigh…

**A/N: **I love it! So much! Already I hint such nighttime romances between Tetsuya and Rinku! Oh!

**Mario: **Romance? All they did was talk.

**Kazooie: **It wasn't even just the two of them. Pearl and Aura were there, too.

**Me: **Yeah…well…whatever. Let's carry on.

**Chapter Three: Lead Ryouga To The Gate  
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"Good. Let's go to Ryouga," said Aura. "We need to take him to Goura's Gate today, since we got interrupted last time…Oh…" realized Aura.

"Should we take Rinku and Pearl along?" asked Tetsuya.

"Oh, are you going out?" asked Pearl, looking surprised.

"Don't you have practice today?" asked Rinku.

"Huh? We already promised Ryouga that we'd go with him," said Aura.

"We'll be back soon," said Tetsuya.

"Something's odd here…Where are you going?!" demanded Rinku. With a hint of jealousy? Why should I feel jealous?!

"Uh…first, we're going to Ryouga's house…" stammered Tetsuya, apparently disliking lying to Rinku and Pearl.

"Hey!" shouted Rinku. "You don't want to tell us, do you?!"

"That's not true! It's just… It's a secret between us and Ryouga. Master doesn't even know about it," Tetsuya admitted sheepishly.

"Master doesn't know at all? Why not?!" demanded Pearl.

"Uh… This is just between Ryouga and us…" But even Aura knew that that was a pathetic excuse.

"A promise made between men, huh?" asked Rinku. If he wants to go, it's his own choice. I guess…

"Aura's not a man," said Pearl. She sighed and said, "Okay, then. We won't stop you!"

"So what are you guys up to?" asked Rinku curiously. "We won't tell anybody. Just let us know!"

"A Craftknight's promise is stronger than the toughest chain. So keep it a secret!" said Aura, frowning seriously.

"Okay, okay! I won't tell anybody!" promised Rinku.

"Come on!" yowled Pearl exasperated. "Just tell us…"

"We're going to check out Goura's Seal…" explained Tetsuya.

"That's so cool!" grinned Rinku. "It sounds like fun!"

"Oh, Goura! That does sound like fun," agreed Pearl. "We could go with you if you wanted us to…"

"To be honest, it's in the restricted area," said Aura.

"What are you telling me?!" demanded Pearl. "Are you saying that I, your Guardian Beast, can't come with you!?"

"Can Ryouga go in there with you?" asked Rinku more calmly.

"No…he can't…" admitted Tetsuya.

"Well then, we can come with you since we're your Guardian Beasts!" said Rinku cheerfully.

"I guess I have no choice…" said Tetsuya.

"Yeah, you can come," agreed Aura.

"You want to go get ready, right?" asked Rinku. "This sounds dangerous to me!" he looked excited at the thought of danger.

"See, it might be dangerous," agreed Pearl. "You have to get ready."

"You're over exaggerating," smiled Tetsuya.

"Hey! Listen to me! You're not ready to handle the danger yet!"

"Fine, whatever," said Tetsuya nonchalantly. "We'll go buy whatever we need…Oh…I left my money in my old room upstairs. I'll go get it!"

"Go get my money, too," said Aura. "Buy the supplies and meet us at the Gate, okay?"

"Don't forget to bring your weapon that you made!" added Rinku. Tetsuya went upstairs with Rinku to get the money while Aura and Pearl left for Ryouga's house.

Once the money was grabbed, Tetsuya said, "Let's go get Ryouga."

"If you need to fight him, let me take care of it!" said Rinku.

"We're not fighting!" insisted Tetsuya.

After buying a couple of bandages at the shop, Tetsuya and Rinku hurried on down to Ryouga's house, catching up with Aura and Pearl. "You finally made it," said Ryouga when he saw Tetsuya and Rinku.

"Sorry about the wait," said Tetsuya.

"And…" Ryouga eyed Rinku.

"Yeah, Rinku and Pearl wanted to come with us," said Tetsuya.

"Well, they're your Guardian Beasts, so I guess it's okay," said Ryouga. "I need to talk to my sister for a minute. You guys go on ahead, and I'll meet you at Goura's Gate."

"No problem," said Aura.

"I'll catch up with you guys!"

"All right." Ryouga went back inside, and Tetsuya turned to Rinku. "Let's go to Goura's Gate."

"Let's get there and warm up!" agreed Rinku.

"We don't have to expect a fight everywhere we go!"

"I'm so tired…" yawned Pearl as the group made their way up the stairs.

"Fine," sighed Aura with a smile. "Go back to the workshop and get some sleep."

"Stop talking to me like that…I have to come with you! I'm your Guardian Beast!" insisted Pearl.

"Huh," grunted Aura, surprised. "You're lazy, but committed. That's weird."

"Hey!" shouted Pearl, blushing suddenly. "Don't say things like that!"

So Aura, Tetsuya, Pearl, and Rinku head on over to Goura's Gate, which no villager noticed them heading that way.

"Here we are," said Tetsuya.

"Hmm…Goura's sealed in this, huh?" asked Pearl, looking up at the huge ruin.

Ryouga ran up to them and said, "I'm sorry about making you wait."

"So, Lynn's okay with this?" asked Tetsuya.

"She thinks we're somewhere else," said Ryouga, which meant he didn't tell Lynn about the plan at all. "Now unlock the door and guide me in!"

The twins nodded and stood in front of the entrance. "Beyond this door lies the labyrinth to Goura's Seal," explained Tetsuya.

"It'll be easy to get lost if we don't know the way. Along the way, there will be many Summon Creatures to keep intruders away," finished Aura.

"All right! A battle! I can't wait!" said Rinku eagerly.

"What?!" cried Pearl in shock. "Do you really plan on taking me into such a dangerous place?!"

"You've been to the seal before, right? I didn't know you were strong enough to be able to do that…"

"A great Craftknight is also a skilled swordsman! Don't make light of my training!" frowned Aura.

"Well…that's true, but there's also a trick to this labyrinth," Tetsuya said.

"Oh, really?" asked Ryouga, looking worried.

"There's a spell I can cast in front of this door that will take us to the seal in a second," assured Tetsuya.

"I haven't mastered that spell yet," said Aura quietly. "I'm better at fighting…"

"I didn't know there was anything like this in the ruins! Too bad you have to guide me through the maze, huh? Open it up and let's go!"

"Sure…"

"Stop right there, kids!" yelled a voice belonging to an unknown person. The group went "!!!" and turned to a man who had suddenly appeared at the entrance. "Nobody told me that there was a spell that could take me right to the seal!"  
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**Whoo! Enter that Gedharm guy! Hope it's not too long for you? Tee hee! See you later! Bye-bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2**

**Disclaimer: **This is great so far…I guess.

**A/N: **You guess? Where's the enthusiasm? …ah, never mind. Just read on!

**Chapter Four: The Seal of Goura  
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He walked closer to face the group, and Tetsuya took the initiative. "Who are you?" he asked in surprise. Well, almost initiative.

"Me? You may call me Gedharm. Gedharm Camcarossa!" said Gedharm with much gusto.

"You have your last name?" asked Aura with a frown. "Are you a Summoner?"

"That's right!" grinned the evil Gedharm. "Very astute of you to notice! Now that we've been introduced, would you be so kind as to take me with you to see this seal?"

"W-What?!" asked Aura and Tetsuya in shock.

"I believe you said it was Goura's? I've never put any stock in these old legends before, but hearing of this entrance magic and how serious you two seem to be, I've just become more inclined to believe it. And, now that you've piqued my curiosity, I just have to see it for myself! Don't you agree?"

"We can't do that for you!" shouted Tetsuya.

"We don't even know you!" added Aura.

"Are you denying my request? Oh, dear…" said Gedharm quietly, though he still had the evil smirk on his face. "You might just regret it if you did. Are you sure about this?"

"Are you threatening us?!" demanded Rinku. "You'd better back off, Gramps!"

Rinku waked right up to Gedharm, possibly to attack him. Tetsuya, alarmed, yelled, "Rinku!"

"This is starting to look bad…" Pearl started to walk away, hoping to be unnoticed by Gedharm.

"Pearl!" yelled Aura in surprise, trying to warn her.

It was too late; in one fell swoop, Gedharm grabbed Rinku and Pearl forcefully, either by a tight grip or some spell, for they couldn't move. "Argh!" he cried.

"Hey!" yelled Pearl in surprise.

"You should make sure you stand a chance of winning before you try attacking somebody!" said Gedharm. "I apologize for this, but I need you as a hostage!"

"Rinku…!" gasped Tetsuya.

"Pearl…" Aura gasped.

"Do you think you might reconsider your original answer to my request?"

"…" Aura and Tetsuya frowned, thinking about the situation.

"Are you still refusing to cooperate?" To threaten them, he did some kind of spell; there was a flash, making Pearl and Rinku feel pain.

"You…you bastard!" Rinku gasped.

"Master!" Pearl gasped.

"Rinku! Pearl!" cried Tetsuya.

"All right…" Aura glared and said, "We'll guide you in."

"Ha ha ha! You're a smart kid," smirked Gedharm.

"Tetsuya…" said Rinku, looking up at Tetsuya. You do this for me? Why would you do this…I can take it…

"Aura…" said Pearl, looking up at Aura. You really do stick close to your promises…? That is so…

"Now you take the lead," ordered Gedharm to Aura.

"…" went Ryouga, looking worried.

**So Tetsuya does the spell that takes the group to the Chamber of Seals within the labyrinth…**

"Hmm…Here is the Seal of Goura!" said Gedharm.

"We're here," said Aura, turning to Gedharm.

"Now let Rinku and Pearl go!" shouted Tetsuya.

"Hmm…" Gedharm decided to torment the twins longer. "Can I ask you for one last favor?"

"What?!" cried the twins.

"I don't think you'll refuse, will you?"

He did that spell again. "Grrrrrrrr!" growled Rinku, trying not to let any pain show, trying to look tough.

"Tch…" scoffed Pearl, waving aside any pain she felt.

"Darn it…" muttered Aura, knowing she and Tetsuya had no choice.

"You're making the right decision. Now, tell me how to open the seal keeping Goura imprisoned!" Rinku and Pearl gasped in surprise, but Gedharm ignored him. "Come on, now…"

"Nobody can do that!" cried Tetsuya.

Gedharm wasn't going to take "no" for an answer, for once again, he did that spell, only this time it was more intense. "Ughhh!" grunted Rinku in pain.

"Aaah!" yelled Pearl in pain.

"Rinku! Pearl!" cried Aura.

"You're trying my patience!" said Gedharm.

"We don't know how!" said Tetsuya desperately.

"That's a shame," said Gedharm.

Again, he did the spell, more intense then the last one. "Damn you! Aaaah!" yelled Rinku, who was not trying so hard to hide the pain anymore.

"Aura! Please, make him stop!" yelled Pearl, who couldn't hide the pain anymore.

"He's telling you the truth!" shouted Aura. "We really don't know!"

"Really? After all this?" asked Gedharm with a gesture to Pearl and Rinku, who were both slightly huffing in pain. "I guess you're actually telling the truth. I'm sorry, Rinku, Pearl. It looks like I don't have any other options."

"What do you want?" spat Pearl.

"Get out of my way! Move!" he shoved his two hostages out of his way.

Rinku let out a grunt as he hit the floor, and Tetsuya ran to him. "Rinku! Are you all right?"

Pearl cried out as she hit the floor, and Aura ran to her. "Pearl! Hey, are you okay!"

"I'm sorry…Tetsuya…" breathed Rinku.

"I came to see monsters, and all I did was get myself captured…" Pearl winced and got to her knees. "I'm so ashamed, Aura…"

Gedharm stalked up the seal, walking by Ryouga, who so far had said or done nothing. "I'll just have to do it with my own power! Wait for me, Goura! You'll be mine soon!"

"No way!" yelled Tetsuya, helping Rinku to sit up.

"You can't do this! It's too strong for anyone!" shouted Aura.

"I can handle anything! Don't you see?" asked Gedharm. "Just imagine! Everyone in the world will kneel before me once I gain the power of Goura!" he looked a bit demented now…

"Is that what you're after?!" demanded Aura angrily.

"Silence!" commanded Gedharm. He gathered his power and began Summoning something. "_Under an oath in the name of Gedharm, come and serve me! My servant fro another world! Cattan, by my servant!_"

At these words, there was a brilliant flash, and a Summon Creature appeared. "Huh?! A Summon Creature!!" exclaimed Tetsuya.

"Keep them busy until I can revive Goura!"

So Cattan attacked. Rinku and Pearl were took weak at the moment to fight, and Tetsuya's looking after them, so Aura went as fast as she could to defeat Cattan. Soon, the deed was done.

Rinku and Pearl were recovering slowly, so Tetsuya took a step towards Gedharm to join Aura's side. "Step away from the seal!" he shouted.

Gedharm either hadn't heard Tetsuya or ignored him. "Damn it! Why won't this thing open? My last option is… To blow it up!" he said with a crazed look.

"What…?"

Before anyone saw it coming, Gedharm started his Summoning spell again. "_Under an oath in the name of Gedharm, I summon you again! Cattan, my otherworldly servant!_"

And Cattan came back. "What?! That thing again?!" demanded Aura

"You didn't learn the first time, did you?" asked Rinku, standing up and standing next to Tetsuya. He was still a bit shaky, but recovered nonetheless.

"Come on, all ready!" said Pearl, taking her place next to Aura.

"Shut up! I'm going to--"

But what Gedharm was going to do, we'll never know. Ryouga suddenly screamed, "Arrrrgh!"

Never mind, we do know. He hesitated, then finished, "--destroy you all!"

"Stop it!" yelled Ryouga.

There was another bright flash. "Whoa!" shouted Aura in surprise.

"Tetsuya!" shouted Rinku. "Aura!

"What's going on?!" demanded Pearl.

When all became not-so-bright, they all saw that Ryouga was…not human? "!!!" they went. "Ryouga?" asked Aura.

It turned out that Ryouga wasn't human after all…he was a Summon Creature?! "…" he went.

"Hey…You're a Summon Creature!" exclaimed Gedharm, stating the obvious. There was another brief flash. "What the heck happened?" he asked, looking at the seal as if it were the cause.

"What's going on?" asked Aura.

"My head hurts…" said Tetsuya quietly.

"The seal is reacting to your earlier attack…" said Ryouga. He had a wicked grin on his face for some reason. "Huh…what's this? Hehehe… Well done, Gedharm!" Was Ryouga on Gedharm's side? Or on his own side? He pushed past Gedharm and started using some sort of power.

"You…Are you giving power to Goura?" asked Gedharm.

"What!? Ryouga, what are you doing?!" shouted Aura.

"He's reviving it…" said Gedharm.

"Huh?!"

"Goura will live again!" shouted Gedharm with a maniacal gleam in his eyes.

Tetsuya winced suddenly. "Gah!"

Aura flinched too, crying, "Aah!"

They fell to their knees, and Pearl and Rinku hurriedly rushed to them. "Tetsuya! Aura!"

"What's going on? This doesn't look good…" said Tetsuya quietly, looking worried.

Suddenly, Blaire and Orin came into the scene. "What's going on here?!" demanded Blaire angrily.

"Tetsuya! Aura!" shouted Orin in concern.

"Orin…Master…" Tetsuya put a hand on his head.

Aura lifted her head wearily and looked at Ryouga. "It's Ryouga!"

"…" went Ryouga.

"Ryouga!?" repeated Orin. "Is that him!?"

"_I've been waiting for this time to come…_" said an unknown voice.

"The Seal of Goura…" realized Blaire. "Stop this madness right now!" He ran right up to Ryouga, possibly to stop him, but…

"_Stay out of my way!_" shouted the voice.

There was a powerful wave of energy; it blew Blaire, Aura, Tetsuya, Pearl, and Rinku to the ground. And it even shattered their swords. "The swords…!" gasped Tetsuya. The swords shattered! He and Aura got to their feet shakily and noticed Blaire on the floor. "Master…"

"…" Rinku turned to Tetsuya, looking…scared? Or concerned? Pearl looked more shocked as she sat up on her knees.

Tetsuya and Aura ran to Blaire, and shook him a little. "Master! Maaaaaasteeeeer!" screamed Tetsuya, fearing the worst. That Blaire was…

"…" This seemed too much for Tetsuya and Aura to bear. They both suddenly let out a piercing scream. "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

Power started emanating from them. "Tetsuya!?" cried Rinku.

"Aura?!" cried Pearl in surprise.

Ryouga walked up to them. "Oh…? So this is the Mono Shift, huh? Hm… Hahaha…Ah-Hahahaha…!"

**Swor… **

**They flashed once…**

…**craf…**

**They flashed again…**

…**raft 2...**

**Tetsuya became Edgar the Edge Fencer! He Mono Shifted!**

**Aura became Aera the Edge Fencer! She Mono Shifted!**

**SUMMON NIGHT SWORDCRAFT STORY TWO**

**Aura…**

**Tetsuya…**

**Pearl…**

**Rinku… **

**Orin… **

**Tatiana… **

**Blaire...**

**Lynn... **

**People flash by, too fast for us to see…**

**Ryouga human and summon creature…**

**Edgar the Edge Fencer…Mono Shift….**

**Aera the Edge Fencer…Mono Shift…**

**(presented by Banpresto)  
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Wow! What an impressive prologue!  
Mario: **Technically, it's an impressive Chapter Four.  
…**yeah. Fine. Wow! What an impressive Chapter Four! …you know what, never mind, don't mind me or the muses. Just tell me what you think of the novelation so far? Okay? Good! Hope you enjoy! See you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2**

**Disclaimer: **A few minor changes have been made…er excuse me, some change WILL be made. Or she'll add things, like she did last two chapters. I'm sure you've noticed. Obviously.

**A/N: **You mean Rinku feeling something for Tetsuya? …well, yeah. Where I am so far in my game, Rinku is starting to like Tetsuya. Is that a problem? I hope it isn't because that's eventually what the pairing will be! TETSUYA/RINKU!!!! And, of course, Aura/Ryouga. And maybe I'll throw in some Orin/Nina. We'll see how it all goes, won't we? Carry on!

**Chapter Five: Our Mission  
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Flashback…the day Graham died…**

"…I…I…I'm sorry…"

"Dad?" asked a 3-year-old Aura as 3-year-old Aura looked on.

"I'm sorry…Aura…Tetsuya…" breathed Graham, who was dying. "I'm sorry it has to be like this…but you need to stay strong through this hardship…

"What's happening to you, Dad?" asked Tetsuya, looking scared.

"I didn't have a choice… To save your lives, I had to use all of my power… It took me away from you two…" Graham gritted his teeth and said, "But I don't regret it!"

"Are you okay?" wailed Tetsuya, who didn't realize what was going on.

"Hey, Dad!" cried Aura, who did realize.

"Aura…Tetsuya… You are……" Graham closed his eyes and drew his last breath.

"Dad?" asked Aura, giving Graham a shake.

But Graham would never answer again. He was dead.

"Dad!" yelled Tetsuya. He let out a sob and cried on the body of his father as people started to gather around…

Aura clenched her tiny fists and wailed, "DAD!!!"

**End flashback…**

Tetsuya and Aura awoke in bed inside the workshop. Rinku and Pearl stood beside the bed, and apparently had been watching over them. "Uh…"

"Great! Are you awake, Tetsuya?" asked Rinku.

"Huh?" asked Tetsuya. "Rinku…"

"Yes, Pearl, we're awake," said Aura faintly, rubbing her head.

"Oh, good!" said Pearl.

"Hey, Tatiana!" called Rinku, turning towards the stairs.

"Tetsuya and Aura are finally awake!" called Pearl.

"Really?!" asked Tatiana from upstairs.

"What's going on?" asked Aura, who was already awake now.

"Why are you shouting?" asked Tetsuya, who wasn't fully awake yet.

"Aura! Tetsuya!" Tatiana ran downstairs to check on the twins.

"Tatiana… What's all the commotion about?" asked Aura.

"It's about you two, stupid!" said Tatiana, though she said it with a worried frown. "You've had us all worried sick! You've been unconscious ever since you two came back… I feared the worst… I couldn't do anything to help you. I felt so awful!"

"Uh…wha…?" asked Tetsuya, still a little slow and fuzzy.

"Simmer down already, Tatiana," said Pearl.

"Hey, hey, hey. Relax, girl!" said Rinku.

Relax? Do they even know what happened?! "We were all so worried!"

"Well, what happened?" asked Tetsuya.

"I wish I knew," said Tatiana. "Dad and some people went to Goura's Gate. We heard that something strange was happening there, and when they arrived, they found you two passed out on the ground!"

It all came back to them…leading Ryouga to the seal, Gedharm arriving and torturing Rinku and Pearl to force Tetsuya to open the seal, Ryouga being a Summon Creature, Blaire being injured…and…Aura using the Mono Shift…?

Aura gasped and cried, "Master Blaire! Is he okay?"

"Don't worry. He'll be all right. He's injured, but he'll recover. He's resting upstairs."

"Whew!" whewed Tetsuya in relief. "He survived…"

"Then, Pearl and Rinku helped me bring you two here," finished Tatiana. "You're heavy…"

"Uh…Sorry?" asked Tetsuya.

"I am not!" said Aura defensively. "I was just carrying a huge hammer."

"Orin went to the chiefs place as soon as we made it back to the village… What happened to you when we got there?" asked Tatiana.

"Well…" started Tetsuya, but was interrupted by Aura.

"Oh! What happened to Ryouga…?! Where is he?" demanded Aura.

"Don't as me," said Tatiana. "I didn't see him…"

"Pearl, Rinku! You were there! What happened?" asked Aura, worried.

"He just left," said Pearl simply.

"I see…" said Tetsuya sadly.

"Anyway, Dad wanted to see you two when you were feeling up to it. Can you guys stand?" asked Tatiana.

"Yeah. He's upstairs, right?" Tetsuya and Aura climbed out of bed.

"Okay, then let's go," said Tatiana, going upstairs.

"Right, I'm worried about Master. Let's go upstairs!" decided Tetsuya.

"Sure…" said Rinku.

"I wonder if Master's okay?" asked Aura as she lead the group upstairs.

"…" Pearl didn't say anything, but she looked worried.

They entered Blaire's room. "Hello, Master…" said Aura tentatively.

"Oh, hey…You two seem to be doing okay. That's good to see," said Blaire.

"It's our fault you got hurt…" Tetsuya hung his head. "I'm sorry."

"We should've done more," said Aura. "I'm so sorry!"

"I'll be fine," assured Blaire. "I've been better, but I've been a whole lot worse, too."

"What?" asked Tatiana, looking surprised. "You were injured because of something Aura and Tetsuya did?"

"Yes. It's our fault…" said Tetsuya sadly to Tatiana.

"I can't apologize enough," said Aura sadly.

"Hey, wait a minute!" stepped in Rinku. "It was Ryouga!"

"Don't apologize," agreed Pearl. "This isn't Aura's or Tetsuya's fault! That Ryouga guy had some plan with the Summoner Gedharm, and--"

"Stop!" shouted Aura, cutting across Pearl.

"Huh?" asked Pearl, surprised into silence.

"I trust Ryouga. I don't think he'd do something bad like this on his own…" Tetsuya clenched his fist and cried, "There must have been some reason for what he did!"

"Yes, Ryouga's not like that! There must be an explanation!" cried Aura, taking a step forward.

"No matter what kind of reason he had, he did break Goura's Seal," pointed out Blaire.

"Master…"

"The truth is that Ryouga is a Summon Creature who had been waiting for Goura's return."

"What? What are you saying, Dad?" asked Tatiana in confusion. "Ryouga is a Summon Creature?!"

"Tatiana…calm down," said Blaire, for Tatiana's voice had hit a hysterical note.

"You said that he broke the seal so that Goura would return?" asked Tatiana more quietly. "Why would he do that? Hey, he's kidding us…right?"

"Tatiana…I--" started Tetsuya.

"No!" shouted Tatiana, seemingly unwilling to hear the truth. "He's your good friend! Why would he be doing this?!"

"Stop it, Tatiana," said Blaire.

"But…" wailed Tatiana.

"Don't you see that Tetsuya is just as surprised as we are? And Aura…she has even more reason to be shocked…"

"Ah… I'm sorry, you guys," she said to the crestfallen Craftknights.

"…It's okay. But…I don't know what to do," confessed Aura sadly.

The room went "…". And Blaire came up with an answer. "You have to reseal the gate, Aura, Tetsuya."

"Master…"

"Even though the seal is broken, Goura is still inside the gate. It seems that, because the seal was broken forcefully, countermeasures in the Chamber of Seals trapped Goura inside…In situations like these, the spell that allows you to directly teleport to the chamber is nullified…We can't risk letting Goura escape using the magic. Of course, we can't open the gate, either.

"Right now," continued Blaire, "our best bet is to seal the ruins themselves to keep Goura from escaping."

"Then at least our village will be safe," said Tatiana, looking relieved.

"However, as the time passes Goura will slowly regain its strength. It will eventually break through the ground itself and escape that way."

"No!" shouted Tatiana. "We have to flee before that happens!"

"Have you already forgotten, Tatiana? The whole purpose of this village is to protect the Seal of Goura…"

"…" went Tatiana, thinking about it.

"First of all… You must find the sword… You must find the Daemon Edge!"

"Daemon Edge…" repeated Tetsuya, lifting his head up at last.

"Don't you remember? I know I've told you about it. It's the sword that sealed Goura."

"Daemon Edge…" said Aura slowly as she remembered the sword. "The sword specifically forged to seal Goura away… It's said to be in the Wind Fortress in the forest, but nobody seems to know where it is…"

"That's right…And only two people will be able to use this sword…The one with the Summonite Gem held within their bodies. Aera and Edgar the Edge Fencers! That's you, Aura and Tetsuya…"

"I know…" said Aura, looking determined as Tetsuya nodded agreement.

"You're true names are Aera and Edgar. You're the Edge Fencers. You're the only ones who can keep Goura sealed in the ruins!"

"We're the only ones…"

"I'm sure you both felt that power of the Summonite inside of your bodies when you transformed in the ruins."

"When we transformed…I…remember that…" said Tetsuya slowly.

_**Flash: Edgar and Aera the Edge Fencers in Mono Shift…**_

"Ugh…" Tetsuya remembered the painful transformation.

"It's okay, you can relax now. The Summonite in your bodies reacted to Goura's power and transformed you!"

"The Summonite reacted when I got close to Goura…" realized Aura. "It could happen again…

"What can I do if it happens again?" asked Tetsuya, worried now.

Blaire wasn't about to accept un-confidence. The camera went up close (and I mean, again, CLOSE) to his eyes. "Don't be afraid of your power!"

"Our power…" said Aura, who didn't seem to fear her power.

"Your fear makes you doubt yourself, and your will is weakened. If you remain strong, you'll be able to remain in control of your power."

"But, Master…" tried Tetsuya, who indeed feared his power.

Blaire waved aside Tetsuya's feeble protest. "You should know this already! Your father was an Edge Fencer before you… Your father, Graham, saved this entire village with his power and saved your lives. And now it's you…"

Tetsuya held up the memento Graham had left him. Sure enough, a name was scrawled on it. "Edgar". "Dad…"

Aura looked at her own memento Graham had left her. And the name "Aera" was on it. "Father…"

"I'm sorry for you, you two," said Blaire, more sympathetic now.

"Master…" said Tetsuya.

"As I said, you two are the only ones who is able to wield the Daemon Edge… You're the only one we can count on, Aera…Edgar…"

"Master…" said Aura.

"We need you, Aera and Edgar…Go and get the Daemon Edge…Then seal Goura away… Seal Goura…ugh…Gack!" Blaire suddenly rolled over, not speaking.

"Ma…Master?" asked Aura quietly.

"Master!" cried Tetsuya.

"Stop… Shouting…" muttered Blaire, his voice muffled because of the pillow.

"Good…he's still alive…" Tetsuya sighed with relief.

"I told you that I'll be fine," said Blaire, rolling back over. "I…I'm just tired. I'll go to sleep now. This is a nice bed, Aura…I should have taken it earlier…"

"I'll just go away, then," sighed Aura. That meant Tetsuya's getting his own bed downstairs, but not me…sigh…

At that moment, Orin ran upstairs and came into Blaire's room. "Oh, Tetsuya, Aura…" he said when he noticed them. "You've recovered! Fantastic! Awesome!"

"Well…Orin…"

"Hey! Can you keep it down? I'm trying to sleep," said Blaire grumpily.

"Oh. Sorry, Dad. I went to the chief and told him about what happened. He said that we'll have to have a meeting. What do you plan to do?"

"Look, guys, I'm really tired," said Blaire. "Go on ahead without me."

"Will you be okay by yourself?" asked Orin in concern.

"I know that if nobody else is in this room, then it will be QUIETER!"

"I see… Shall we go to the meeting?" asked Orin.

"Yeah, let's go," said Tatiana.

Tatiana and Orin went down the stairs and out the door, and Aura turned to the group. "We should go, too."

"Cool!" agreed Rinku.

"Well…I don't have a choice," agreed Pearl reluctantly.

As they left the house, Tetsuya felt a few misgivings. "I'm sure that people are mad at us for taking Ryouga to the Gate of Goura…" he looked towards the square.

"We've got to go to the square," said Aura. "We can't turn back now."

"I know…But, I don't want to stand up in front of all those angry people…" Tetsuya looked worried.

"Worrying won't solve anything. If you apologize, it'll probably be okay!" said Rinku, giving Tetsuya a nudge.

"Yeah, thanks, Rinku…"

"I don't get it," said Pearl as they made their way to the square. "Why would you two be accused of anything? Ryouga's the one who's bad. That's how I see it," she said stubbornly.

"No…" said Aura. "We broke a village law when we agreed to take him there…"

Soon, they reached the town square. As Tetsuya had feared, the whole village had gathered here. And they were all pretty angry. Though the word "angry" hardly did these villagers justice…

"Chief!" shouted a villager. "They're here."

"Oh, great. Let's get this started then," said the chief, looking serious.  
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**Let's leave it there for now…I hope you enjoy so far! Okay! Good! See you later, then, and keep on reviewing!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2**

**Disclaimer: **Let's get going…

**A/N: **That's good. Let's go!

**Chapter Six: Who's To Blame?  
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Aura, Tetsuya, Pearl, and Rinku went to the top of the stairs of the monument next to the chief, and instantly, villagers started shouting. "Is the Seal of Goura really broken! What the heck went on in there?" demanded one villager.

"Tell us the truth!" shouted another villager. "Is Ryouga a Summon Creature?"

Lynn faced the village and hesitated. "Well…I…I don't know how to apologize for this…"

"You didn't know about it," said one villager sympathetically. "There was nothing you could do…"

"You'd better start apologizing!" argued another villager. "How could you lie to us all these years?"

"Hey, shut up!" said the sympathetic villager. "Can't you see what Lynn's going through?"

"Stand down, people," said the chief. "This is not the time to start arguing amongst ourselves. We have to work together to prevent Goura from re-entering our world!"

"…" went the two arguing villagers.

"Like I was saying, we need the Daemon Edge to seal Goura away… We don't actually know where the Daemon Edge is since Guren attacked the village over 12 years ago."

"How could you lose a magic sword?" muttered Rinku. I mean, just out of curiosity.

"Well, I guess we should just give up then," muttered Pearl.

"However, Goura is currently trapped underground in the ruins beyond the gate. In the meantime, we must recover the Daemon Edge and seal it again!"

"Sealing Goura away…" said a villager.

"Because Aura and Tetsuya's the only one who can use the Daemon Edge, we need to trust them. We're going to have to keep a close eye on the sacred ruins, to make sure that Goura isn't escaping!"

"…" Aura and Tetsuya felt their confidence slip as they saw a few villagers glower in their direction.

"It's a heavy burden…" said the chief.

"Chief…"

"We're counting on you, Aera and Edgar the Edge Fencers!"

"…" Tetsuya saddened again. I am Edgar, the Edge Fencer…only I can wield the Daemon Edge…but…I… "I'm not really that confident…" whispered Tetsuya to the chief, lowering his head. "Finding the Daemon Edge…That sounds really difficult."

"Count on me!" said Aura, more determinedly. She held up a fist and declared, "That Daemon Edge is as good as found!"

"There's no question of whether you can or cannot, Edgar…You don't have a choice. Aera has agreed to do this. You have to do this!"

"I don't have a choice…" repeated Tetsuya.

"Exactly. We're all relying on you, so you have to come through for us!"

"…" went Tetsuya, thinking about it. Then he looked up with a determined frown. "I understand. I'll do my best."

"I don't believe that…" said a skeptical villager.

"What?" asked the chief, turning to said villager. "Why not?"

"This was all their fault to begin with, wasn't it!?"

"Wait just a minute!" shouted Rinku, ready as always to defend Tetsuya.

"Huh. He's got a point there," said Pearl bluntly, not so eager to defend Aura.

"It's true!" said the skeptical villager. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

"Aera and Edgar broke the sacred law of our village by taking Ryouga to the ruins," said another villager.

"How can we believe you now when you couldn't even follow our own rules!?" screeched an old villager angrily.

"Wait, what?" growled Rinku.

"Excuse me?" asked Pearl.

"Rinku…" warned Tetsuya. Any more insolence, and they could stone us… "I have to admit…We made an oath to the people of the village…"

"One stronger than the promise I made to Ryouga…" continued Aura. "We've shamed ourselves by continuing to say that a Craftknight's promise is stronger than anything else…"

"Aren't you just going to run away instead of trying to find the Daemon Edge?" asked the old villager.

"No!" cried Tetsuya.

"Perhaps…You're the one who wants to see Goura revived, aren't you, Tetsuya?!" sneered the skeptical villager.

"No…!" Tetsuya saddened, his confidence slipping away again.

"We would never," said Aura. "I can do it! I said I would!"

"Really?" asked another villager.

"What the heck?" asked the sympathetic villager.

"Who is this?!" demanded the arguing villager.

"Screw you guys!" said Rinku. "You need to trust Tetsuya!"

"Shut your noise holes!" added Pearl.

"Pearl…?" asked Aura, looking at Pearl.

"Rinku…?" asked Tetsuya, looking at Rinku.

"Quit your whining and trust in Tetsuya and Aura!" shouted Rinku so loud so the whole village could hear him.

"What?" asked Tetsuya in shock.

Rinku frowned determinedly. "Tetsuya and Aura are definitely going to find that Daemon Edge and will seal Goura! Trust them!"

"We've already said that we're going to find this Daemon Edge and seal away Goura," said Pearl. "Just trust Aura and Tetsuya and stop whining!"

"How do you know this?" asked the old villager. "We just met you!"

"Because Tetsuya and Aura are our masters!" declared Pearl.

"Rinku…Pearl…" said Tetsuya, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.

"You guys…" said Aura, feeling cheered by their enthusiasm.

"And…" Rinku gave a confident smirk, showing the village his smile that showed a missing tooth (so cute…), "I am Tetsuya's Guardian Beast!"

"As I am Aura's Guardian Beast!" said Pearl proudly.

"What? Rinku…?" asked Tetsuya faintly.

Pearl took a step forward and pointed at each of the villagers in turn. "As long as we're Aura's and Tetsuya's Guardian Beast, nobody can beat us!"

With another confident smirk Rinku added, "I have absolutely no doubt in mind that we'll be able to find the Daemon Edge and seal Goura away!"

Tetsuya smiled. "Oh? Are you really that confident?"

Aura nodded. "You're right, Pearl, Rinku…"

"Heh…" chuckled Orin. He suddenly broke out laughing. "Hahahahaha! That's great! I believe in Aura and Tetsuya! You can do it!"

"Orin…" smiled Tetsuya.

"Me too!" said Tatiana cheerfully. "I believe in Tetsuya!"

"Tatiana…" smiled Aura.

"Hahahaha! That's great!" said the chief. "I trust you! Even Pearl and Rinku, the newest members of our village believes in them. Why can't we all do that? Why can't we come together? Can't we all just… Believe in Aura! Believe in Tetsuya!"

"…" went the village, mulling it over for a couple of minutes.

"Fine…" said the skeptical villager.

"Hmm… I see your point," said the old villager.

"We should believe in them!" said the sympathetic villager.

"Yeah, we must trust Tetsuya and Aura!" said the arguing villager.

"We're counting on you, Aura! Don't let us down, Tetsuya!" said another villager.

"Everyone…" Tetsuya's cheeks a little flushed. "Thank you all…" He smiled happily, his confidence returning in full. He smiled happily and said, "Thank you so much!"

"See, that's all you had to do," said Aura. "So long as you believe in me and Tetsuya, we won't let you down! I promise!

Rinku was happy, too. He made a happy cry and said, "Great!"

Pearl made a confident "hmph" and said, "They finally get it."

"Thank you, Pearl, Rinku. You did a great job convincing them! I really appreciate your help!" said Tetsuya happily.

"I kind of blame myself for being captured by Gedharm," admitted Rinku guiltily. "But if I cut and run, I'd never forgive myself."

"We did get captured by Gedharm," admitted Pearl. "And then…some stuff happens…You might say me and Rinku are partly to blame.

"Are you sorry that you're my Guardian Beast?" asked Tetsuya in concern.

"Will you two be all right?" asked Aura.

Rinku blushed suddenly. "What?! No way!" Why would I be sorry?! Oh, damn…why am I blushing?!

Pearl blushed suddenly, too. "What are you talking about?!" I only agreed to this because you said…"Aaaah!" she shouted suddenly, and out came Angel-Pearl.

"Oh, I'm so very sorry!" wailed the angel. "This is all our fault! I thought you'd never forgive us!"

"No way!" said Aura. "I want to get along with you guys. We've been doing so well so far…"

"Oh, we're the ones who have to try harder," said Angel-Pearl. "We'll definitely protect you this time! Well…"

Before we could find out well, Pearl came out. "Grr!" she growled in frustration. "That girl's been getting stronger and stronger lately! I can't let her take control of me…" she muttered determinedly.

"Calm down…Aren't you twins or something?" asked Tetsuya.

"Shouldn't you be getting along?" asked Aura.

"What?!" demanded Pearl.

"Let's go find the Daemon Edge!" said Aura, changing the subject.

"Right," agreed Rinku, regaining composure. "Where are we going?" asked Rinku in confusion.

"Yeah, do we have any idea where the Daemon Edge is?" asked Pearl.

"Hmm. I guess we should go look in the place the Daemon Edge used to be kept," said Tetsuya.

"Ah, you mean the Daemon Vault inside the Wind Fortress…" said the chief.

"Daemon Vault?" repeated Rinku and Pearl.

"Those are the ruins in the mysterious forest not too far from here," explained the chief. "However, you must be careful!" he added. "The animals in the area have become savage because of Goura's influence. Now that it is awake, it's power seeps out into the world around it…"

"!!!" went Tetsuya. "Yeah…That sword I made the other day broke on me…" he grinned sheepishly.

"All we have left is the hammers…" admitted Aura, with a sheepish smile on her face.

"Time for the six beat hammer technique," said Rinku, not looking to enthused about it. "Hi-ya!"

"Not that stupid hammer again…" sighed Pearl.

"Hmm…" Orin walked up to Tetsuya and handed him a sword Shapestone. "I guess you can have this, guys. Take it with you." With that, he handed them each a sword Shapestone.

"Hey, thanks!" said Tetsuya happily.

"Dad is in no condition to help you this time," said Orin, looking worried. "You'll have to make it by yourselves."

"We don't need his help!" said Aura. "We'll be able to do it!"

"Okay! Next on the agenda!" said the chief. "We must discuss the necessary precautions and defensive measures taken by those in the village! You don't need to stick around any longer. Go find that sword!"

"Okay! Rinku, let's go back to the workshop and forge new weapons!" said Tetsuya, already heading out of the square to Blaire's house.

"Cool!" agreed Rinku, following.

Aura watched them hurry off and followed them slowly, saying to Pearl, "Let's go back to the workshop with them."

"Well…I don't have any choice," sighed Pearl.  
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**Hah! 8 pages! That's pretty short:D Let's move on to the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2**

**Disclaimer: **We're moving along. No comment here.

**A/N: **That's good. Let's go!

**Chapter Seven: Forging Practice  
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Soon they make it to the house and go downstairs to the workshop. "Yeah…" said Tetsuya.

"I can do it…" agreed Aura.

"Hey, have you ever made weapons without Master's supervision?" asked Rinku curiously.

"Can you do it without any help at all?" asked Pearl.

"Huh?" asked Tetsuya distractedly. "I've used these materials before to make a weapon with Master so many times…

"It's just like when I worked with you. We'll be fine," assured Aura.

"Well then, let's get started!" said Rinku.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" muttered Pearl.

So they get to work on the compression and forming of the sword. And then…commenced the six-beat hammer play! 123456...(-fanfare plays-) Amateur Knife received! Tetsuya and Aura proudly lifted their swords up. Rinku stood proudly with his arms akimbo; he quickly rubbed the soot from his eyes and put his arms akimbo again. Pearl nodded proudly and did a graceful little curtsy.

"Aaaaaaand…Done!" said Rinku happily.

"Yes! We did it!" said Pearl happily.

"What do you think? Was I a big help?" asked Rinku.

"I certainly did a lot of work today, more than you two," said Pearl. "Come on, tell me how great I was."

"Hmm…" said Tetsuya and Aura. "Excuse us for a second…" Aura lead Tetsuya a few paces away, and said quietly to Tetsuya, "Well, we finished, but Pearl and Rinku weren't much help."

Tetsuya made a worried face and added, "They made lots of mistakes, and it took extra work on our part…what should we tell them?"

"Maybe we should be honest," said Aura.

"Or we could be nice…" The two stood and thought about it. "Great job," said Tetsuya suddenly, turning to Rinku. "You were a big help." Rinku smiled proudly, an invitation to continue. "This is only your second time forging," continued Tetsuya. "I'm surprised you were able to help me out so well."

"Of course. How could I not be a great smith? I'm already a great warrior!" said Rinku smugly.

Aura sighed. She was honest at least. "You still need practice. This is not a very good weapon," she said, turning to Pearl.

"What?" demanded Pearl. "You can't be serious! Let me see that sword! I want to take a look at it!"

"Sure…" Aura handed over her sword to Pearl.

"Can I see the sword?" asked Rinku. "I want to admire my skills some more."

"Sure," said Tetsuya, handing the sword to Rinku.

"Huh?" No sooner had Rinku given the amateur knife an experimental swing that the sword snapped in half!

"Mine won't do that," said Pearl, giving her own sword an experimental swing. Just like Rinku's sword, it snapped in half! The amateur knifes broke!

Rinku rubbed one eye, apparently where a small shard had reached. "What? It broke!" he shouted in shock. "You can't use this!" he snarled, looking at the useless hilt of the sword. "What the heck happened?!"

"Why did it break?!" demanded Pearl.

"Well…" began Tetsuya.

"We failed," said Aura flatly.

"It must be your fault!" said Pearl. "What did you do?"

"You've made this kind of weapon many times, haven't you?" asked Rinku.

Oh, well, time for the truth to come out. "Yeah, but I've never seen a sword break right after it was forged," said Tetsuya with a slight frown.

"I didn't see how badly you were messing things up!" shouted Aura.

"Do…do you mean that this is our fault?" asked Rinku, feeling a bit hurt.

"Are you blaming us?" asked Pearl.

"Well…Not entirely. I should have been helping you out more," said Tetsuya apologetically.

"No, I'm not," said Aura. "You both are still just beginners. I should watch over you a bit better…"

"Aw…crap!" growled Rinku. He saddened and asked, "Are you going to keep on pointing out every mistake we make?"

"No, I mean…" said Tetsuya quietly.

"Is this the kind of partnership Blaire was talking about?" asked Pearl.

"Partner…" repeated Tetsuya.

Rinku glared suddenly at his master. "Tetsuya…All I know about forging is what you taught me! If you don't tell me when I make a mistake, I'll never learn!" he got sad again. "And I'll never get any better! That's terrible!" he shouted with fervor.

"…" Tetsuya saddened. I know Rinku's right…

"Yeah," agreed Pearl, "but that's no reason to shout," she said.

"I wasn't shouting!" said Aura defensively.

"I'm a Guardian Beast in service to a Craftknight!" continued Rinku. He frowned stubbornly and shouted, "I ought to be able to forge weapons as well!"

"I'm an official Guardian Beast and a Craftknights partner!" said Pearl.

"…Rinku." Tetsuya remembered Blaire.

**Flashback…Blaire giving a lesson…**

"In order to make good weapons…" started Blaire. What followed was what was said earlier in the story.

**End flashback…**

"In order to make good weapons…we have to be honest with Pearl and Rinku," said Aura and Tetsuya with determined frowns. "Sorry, Rinku. This was my fault. I should have helped more."

"You still don't understand!" shouted Rinku.

"Will you stop saying that?" asked Pearl. "I see what the problem is…It's that you don't want us to be your Guardian Beast!" she saddened and continued dramatically, "You have nothing but contempt for us and what we're trying to do for you…"

Rinku frowned and said, "You shouldn't have to hold my hand through everything we do together! I see how it is…" he said suddenly. He eyed Tetsuya up and down suspiciously.

"No, you're taking it the wrong way!" cried Tetsuya.

Aura frowned and said, "I mean that we're sorry I didn't tell you the truth!"

"Tetsuya…?" said Rinku, looking a little distracted.

"Aura…" said Pearl quietly.

"Yeah, it's your fault, Rinku!" shouted Tetsuya, pointing a finger accusingly at Rinku.

"That's why the sword broke! Pearl, you were so slow that I couldn't help you, you know?" asked Aura in exasperation.

"…" went Rinku and Pearl.

"You've done this before," Tetsuya added, still shouting.

"If you'd listened to us and worked faster, this wouldn't have happened!" added Aura, shouting still.

"You…"

"What?" asked Tetsuya and Aura, no longer shouting.

"You think I'm lazy, don't you?!" demanded Rinku with a little snarl.

"You're saying that I'm no help at all, am I?!" demanded Pearl with a scoff.

"Well…we have to be honest with them, even if the truth hurts," said Aura to Tetsuya.

Tetsuya frowned and nodded. "Yes. You're too slow."

"Hey, hey, hey!" shouted Rinku. "Why are you telling me this?"

"How dare you!" exclaimed Pearl.

"We need to tell the truth, even if it's not pleasant," shouted Tetsuya back.

"It's the only way we'll learn how to forge great weapons," shouted Aura.

"It's not like you're a great teacher or anything!" said Rinku, frowning. "Do you think it's easy listening to you?"

"You're terrible teachers," agreed Pearl. "We didn't learn anything! That's why we failed!"

"Huh…" sighed Tetsuya, looking worried.

Rinku grinned and said, "You have to have better explanations if you expect me to know what the heck you're talking about."

"I…I suppose I should work on that," admitted Tetsuya.

"Fine," agreed Pearl. "Then maybe we'll actually succeed… You've got to get ready, OK?"

"Rinku…Pearl…"

"Ha! I'll probably turn out to be a better Craftknight than you!" He lifted his head arrogantly and shouted, "And then you can work for me! You'll be my Summon Human. Bring it on, Tetsuya!" Not that I'm bitter or anything.

Aura smiled nervously. "I wonder if this is the partnership Master Blaire had in mind…"

"Enough talk!" said Pearl.

"Let's get started!" decided Rinku, getting official-like. "We don't have the time to waste. Where are those materials?"

"We don't have any more," admitted Tetsuya with a sheepish chuckle.

"We could go into the forest and get some more…" said Aura.

"But it's dangerous to go there without a weapon, right?" asked Rinku, looking embarrassed. "We'll have to borrow one from somebody."

"Don't be so sure!" said a voice suddenly. Blaire came down the stairs and stalked to the shocked Craftknights.

"M-M-Master!" wailed Pearl, Rinku , Aura, and Tetsuya at the same time.

"…" went Blaire, thinking.

"Are you feeling better?" asked Tetsuya in deep concern.

"Yeah, Tetsuya… But have you already forgotten about the Spirit of the Craftknight?" asked Blaire.

"No, sir…" said Aura.

"You have to make your own weapon! No Craftknight would go into battle with somebody else's sword! It'd be like…wearing their underwear! Yeurgh!"

"But you know, the forest is dangerous!" shouted Rinku. "How can we fight without any weapons?"

"Yeah, the forest is filled with dangerous animals," argued Pearl.

"You're forgetting an important fact," said Blaire. "Aura and Tetsuya have their hammers still."

"Are you actually expecting us to fight with that hammer?!" demanded Rinku, looked quite shocked.

"Are you saying that Aura and Tetsuya are going to fight with hammers?!" demanded Pearl.

"That's right! You must remember, Pearl and Rinku. A hammer is not just for forging weapons…" The camera went up close (and you know how close we mean!) to his eyes, and Blaire shouted, "It forges a man!"

"…" went Tetsuya, looking a little blank.

"…" went Rinku, still looking quite shocked. Then he grinned, albeit still shocked looking. "I think I get it!"

"Uh…okay," said Aura.

"I guess," muttered Pearl.

"Do you understand? Work hard, Aura and Tetsuya!"

"Yes…" agreed Tetsuya.

With a nod, Blaire turned and walked back upstairs to go rest some more. "It sounds like he's feeling better…" said Aura. "After all that work, we're back to using the hammer. Well, let's head over to the forest…"

"To forge your manliness!" yelled Rinku. "Ahahaha!"

Tetsuya smiled. "What are you getting at?"

"We need to make some weapons before we look for the Daemon Edge," stated Aura. "We need to find some materials."

"Great!" agreed Rinku. "I'll find them for you! Where should we look?"

"There are wooden boxes and treasure chests at the edge of the forest," said Tetsuya. "We'll just go there and find some materials in those containers. It'll be easy!"

"Cool! I'll defeat them all!" exclaimed Rinku.

"You'll defeat a bunch of boxes? Do they put up much of a fight" asked Tetsuya in confusion, not knowing that Rinku meant any enemies they'll meet.

"Are we really going to find boxes in the woods?" asked Pearl lazily, checking her nails. "Why can't Master just give us more materials?

"We're supposed to do it ourselves," said Aura. "So we can learn how to make more weapons."

"Sigh…I guess. As long as you remember to protect me!"

"I will, I will."

The group walked down the path, and were about to cross the store when Lynn called, "Aura! Tetsuya! Wait!"

Aura stopped, making Tetsuya bump into her. "Oof!"

"Lynn? What is it?" asked Aura.

"I…just wanted to find a way to thank you for helping the village to find a way to seal Goura," said Lynn. "After all, this was Ryouga's fault…"

"No, it wasn't your fault," said Aura. "I…I'm sure Ryouga had a good reason for what he did."

"There must be some way I can thank you," said Lynn, softening her eyes.

"There's no need to thank us," said Tetsuya. "We'll be fine."

"But I'll feel terrible…like I'm taking advantage of you and Aura," said Lynn fretfully. "But…I know how I can thank you…"

"Huh? How's that?" asked Aura.

"I could give you a kiss," suggested Lynn.

Both Aura and Tetsuya went bright red at this statement. "W-What?!" they cried. "A k-kiss?!"

"Oh, you're a naughty lady!" cried Pearl.

"People give each other kisses around here to give their thanks?!" asked Rinku in complete shock.

"Th-That's really not necessary!" stammered Tetsuya.

"Yes, we'll be just fine!" said Aura.

"Oh…you're so cute when you get flustered," smiled Lynn. "I suppose you're both embarrassed because Pearl and Rinku are here? Very well…"

"Very well?!" repeated Aura.

"I'll wait for when we don't have an audience," said Lynn. "I'd better head back to the meeting now…see you later, Aura, Tetsuya…_much_ later…" With that, Lynn headed back for the town square.

"Wow…that's a woman," commented Pearl.

"Oh…just shut it," said Aura, blushing embarrassedly. "Come on! We have those materials to find!"

"Yay! More strong enemies to fight!" said Rinku. "I can't wait!"

"It's not about fighting!" called Tetsuya.

So the group head off to the forest, to search for materials, and, in Rinku's case, a strong enemy to fight. As they say, this is only the beginning. With the Craftknights, and Edge Fencers, luck!  
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**Hah! Another update…whee. Let's keep going, when we can!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2**

**Disclaimer: **We're on a roll.

**A/N: **Yes, we are! Only two chapters before the 10-chapter milestone! Sweet, huh?! Come on, let's continue the story!!

**Chapter Eight: The Wind Fortress  
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The group explored the little clearing outside the woods, and it wasn't long before they found a couple of ores.

"All right, these will work fine," said Tetsuya.

"Now all we need is a Shapestone, right?" asked Rinku.

"Yes…let's look over here," said Aura, leading them to another clearing, which had one treasure chest laying about.

"There really are treasure chests here!" exclaimed Pearl. She opened the treasure chest, and sure enough, there was a Shapestone inside. "All right! We got what we need!"

"Then let's head back home," said Tetsuya. "We've got all the materials! Let's go back to the workshop and make some more weapons!"

"I'm going to win the forging game this time," said Rinku with a determined face. "Don't worry! With my Six-Beat Hammer Play, we'll never lose! Bam bam bam bambamBAM!" he yelled with fury.

"Uh…Are you okay?" asked Tetsuya uncertainly, smile fading a little.

"I don't know why you're so excited," sighed Pearl. "Wasting away before a furnace for all eternity doesn't sound fun to me at all…"

"Quit complaining, Pearl! Really, this will be fun!" assured Aura.

So they run back home, run inside, and zoom to the furnace. Tetsuya turned to Rinku. "We're going to make it work this time!"

"You can count on me!" promised Rinku.

Aura turned to Pearl. "Are you ready, Pearl? I know we can do it this time!"

"As long as you don't slow us down," sighed Pearl, picking up her hammer. "Let's get started, then."

Thus they went to work, forming and compounding the two materials in the furnace. Then commenced the six-beat hammer play! 123456 (-fanfare plays-) Amateur Knife received!

"All right!" cheered Tetsuya. "We're finished!"

"How's that?" asked Rinku.

"This isn't good enough…" muttered Aura, looking the blade up and down.

"…" Rinku bit his lip. "I see…"

"You didn't try hard enough," said Tetsuya. "I can tell."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Pearl.

"I can tell that you'll be able to improve your skills, but not if you don't try," said Tetsuya calmly. "I get the feeling that we'll be able to make great weapons with you as my partner!"

"Aura…Tetsuya…" Rinku nodded.

"I'll try harder," promised Pearl.

"Thanks, guys," smiled Tetsuya. "We're going to do a fantastic job together!"

"Ha! You got it!"

"Okay, next step of events. Let's go to the Wind Fortress in the forest. We might be able to find a clue about the Daemon Edge," said Aura determinedly.

"I like forging okay, but I'd rather be fighting!" said Rinku.

"Don't tell me you forgot what we were doing!" scolded Tetsuya.

"We're searching for the Daemon Edge," said Pearl. "I hadn't forgotten."

"I know. Thanks Pearl," said Aura.

So they head back to the forest and continue south through the forest in search of the Wind Fortress. They used the new sword to cut some thick grass and continued. They came across another treasure chest.

"Hey, I wonder what's in this one?" asked Rinku.

"Let's open this…" Tetsuya used the sword to open the chest, and there was another Shapestone inside. "Hey…look!"

"It looks like an axe," said Pearl. "It must be an axe Shapestone! Are we going to make an ax, too?"

"Yes, we will," said Tetsuya, picking the Shapestone up. "Let's go back to the workshop and make an axe!"

"Wha…? Again?" asked Rinku. "We just came back from the workshop? Can't we explore a little bit more? I want to fight something!"

"Being a Craftknight is more than fighting," sighed Aura. "You should feel glad we didn't run into anything hostile."

"But…"

"Okay, come on," said Tetsuya, heading back for the village.

"There HAS to be something to fight in these woods!" yowled Rinku in frustration as he followed everyone. "How about you go make the axe and I'll stay here and beat someone up?"

"No, we have to make weapons together," said Tetsuya, turning around and giving Rinku a stern frown. "Remember what Master said?"

"Yeah…But still, I want to fight," said Rinku.

"When we go deeper into the woods, we'll be sure to find something hostile," said Tetsuya. "So save your energy for then."

"Come on, boys, enough chatter," said Aura as she walked past the two. "We have weapons to forge, and a Daemon Edge to find!"

"Everyone knows that all guys are slackers," said Pearl. "But this running back and forth is a bid tedious…"

"Let's go, Rinku," said Tetsuya,

"Right, right…" sighed Rinku as the group entered the workshop. "Okay… an axe…"

"Let's start," agreed Tetsuya.

So they do their thing, compounding and such in the furnace…and then commenced the six-beat-hammer play. 123456 (-fanfare plays-) Amateur Axe received! Yay!

"All right, we have an axe. Can we go on now?" asked Rinku.

"Well…fine. The sooner we find the Wind Fortress, the sooner we find the Daemon Edge."

So our intrepid group returns yet again to the forest, and explore a new path in the forest. There weren't any monsters in sight…until…

Tetsuya came to a halt suddenly. "Ri--Rinku…look…"

Rinku bumped into Tetsuya. "Ooh! Tetsuya? What is it?"

"I think you got your wish," whispered Tetsuya. "Look, a hound is over there…and I hear they're really tough and deadly…"

"Tough and deadly?" repeated Rinku. "Then we oughta fight him!"

"Keep your voice down, we can't fight the hound!" hissed Aura. "I heard that a few villagers and salesmen have been eaten by the hound!"

"This hound? Alone?" asked Pearl.

"Yes," answered Aura. "We need to find another way around him…"

Rinku thought about it. "So…he isn't easily defeated?"

"No."

"That makes it all the more fun!" With that, Rinku picked a rock up and threw it at the hound, hitting dead on it's nose.

It yelped in surprise and looked around. He then noticed the group, and let out a growl of fury and ATTACKED TETSUYA!!!

"Ack! Help!" wailed Tetsuya in surprise.

"Don't be scared, Master, fight him! Use the weapons we forged!" shouted Rinku. "A battle, finally! And I was beginning to think that this forest was deserted! Hi-ya!"

"Oh! Right! Here, you use the sword, and I'll use the axe!" Tetsuya tossed Rinku the sword and pulled out the axe.

"Are you ready, Pearl… Pearl?" Aura looked back, and saw Pearl hanging back. "Hey, aren't you gonna help?"

"I'll be doing spells from over here!" said Pearl. "If this thing is as tough as you say, then weapons alone won't be enough to defeat it. And besides, if you get hurt, I'll heal you. So go already!"

"…all right," said Aura. She readied her sword. "Let's do this…"

The hound was a tough beast, but it was eventually defeated. Rinku used Burst Flare spell, and Pearl finished the hound off with Aqua Tornado!

Aura swung the sword gracefully and held it up over her head. "I did it!" she cheered.

Tetsuya flipped the axe fancily and lifted it in the air triumphantly. "We did it!" he cheered.

"Yes, I certainly did help a lot!" said Rinku, wiping under his nose smugly. "You nearly panicked. What would you do without me?"

"I long for the day," answered Tetsuya with a hint of sarcasm.

"Hey…look!" Rinku ran ahead.

"Ah! Rinku, wait!" Tetsuya chased Rinku.

"Boys…way in over their heads…" sighed Aura. "Come on, Pearl."

"I'm coming…"

"Guys, wait for us!" Aura and Pearl hurried after the twom and soon, they stopped in front of a huge fortress….the Wind Fortress! "This place is the Wind Fortress… We'll need to look for some kind of clue before we keep going," Aura said.

"Okay!" agreed Rinku.

They entered the Wind Fortress and looked around. "Where would we find some kind of clue to the Daemon Edge?" asked Tetsuya.

"Cool!" said Rinku excitedly, shifting around in eagerness to run somewhere to start searching for the Daemon Edge.

Pearl looked around. "I don't really get what's going on, but I'm going to try and find something!"

So they spend the next half-hour looking for any sign of the Daemon Edge. At the end of said thirty-minutes, they met up at a doorway.

"Argh…" sighed Tetsuya, slightly frustrated. "We haven't found any trace of the Daemon Edge yet…" Something suddenly crashed, making everyone go "!!!".

"Do you hear something?" asked Aura, looking around. "Is someone over there?"

"Cool! Let me go first!" said Rinku.

"Will you be all right?" asked Tetsuya.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Rinku. "I'm your Guardian Beast!"

Tetsuya smiled. How could you argue with a face like that? "Yeah, I know. Knock yourself out."

"I'll go, too," said Pearl. "Just be ready to run in if something happens, all right?"

"Okay, then," said Aura. "Just be careful, Pearl."

"You know I will."

So Rinku and Pearl walked into the room casually. A few seconds later, a voice said, "Ohh! Summon Creatures!"

"Hey, man!" Rinku went.

"What the…!?" Pearl was cut off by someone.

"Rinku? Pearl?" asked Tetsuya in surprise. "What's going on?" Worried, Tetsuya and Aura ran in to see what the matter was. He and Aura came in and saw two kids, two Mechanoids, Pearl, and Rinku. "Rinku? Rinku!!"

"Pearl, what happened?" asked Aura.

"I'm just fine," assured Pearl.

"This kid just tripped over his own two feet!" announced Rinku.

"Ugh…" muttered the kid who had tripped.

"Run away!" cried the little girl. "Rocky!"

"Waaaaah!" shouted Rocky. He limped up and backed away from Rinku and Pearl.

"…" they went, looking both offended and a little hurt.

"Hmm, are you afraid of Rinku and Pearl?" asked Tetsuya. How shrewd he is.

Rinku seemed to recover at these words. "It's only natural! I am very fearsome!"

"How dare you?!" yelled Pearl. "I am a lady! A lady is NOT fearsome! There is no reason you should be afraid of me!"

Aura looked at the kids and said, "Hey, don't worry. There's no reason to fear Pearl and Rinku."

"Really?" asked the girl.

"Well… There might be a few reasons," admitted Tetsuya with a worried smile.

"Ha! That's right!" hooted Rinku. "You should fear me!"

"I'm not frightening!" yowled Pearl.

"You keep yelling like that, and you will scare them!" said Aura with a worried smile. "Just calm down."

"You see?" asked Rocky. "They're scary!"

"Hey, stop frightening the kid," said Tetsuya. "I can't talk to him."

"Sorry," mumbled Rinku.

"I wasn't doing anything frightening," insisted Pearl under her breath.

"Oh, Rocky!" said the girl.

"We need to get away!" said Rocky. "Kara!"

"Hey, wait. I've seen those people before…" Kara looked them up and down, and added, "You remember those people who came by our village… The ones with the Guardian Beasts…"

"Oh, yeah, I think I remember," said Rocky.

"That's right," agreed Tetsuya. "Rinku is my Guardian Beast, and Pearl is Aura's Guardian Beast. Don't be scared. Rinku is usually quite nice. You won't get hurt. And Pearl is a nice lady, like she says. She won't bite."

"What's that supposed to mean?" growled Rinku.

"Take it as it is," answered Tetsuya, making Rinku scratch his head.

"Okay, then, why are you guys here?" asked Aura.

"This used to be a secret fort for the Wind Brigade!" said Rocky.

"Not the Wind Brigade," said Kara. "We're the Breeze Brigade!"

"Never mind what you call yourselves…" muttered Aura.

"But everybody left, so I guess this isn't our headquarters anymore…"

"What happened?" asked Tetsuya, looking worried.

"We had some Stay Summons in this fort," explained Kara, "But for some reason, they all got very angry and we got scared…"

"The Summon Creatures we were keeping in here suddenly broke out and they all ran away," said Rocky.

"I see… This must be because Goura's Seal was broken… This is our fault," said Tetsuya sadly.

"Some of us got hurt," said Kara. "Our leader and some others went out to find some healing herbs."

"We were standing guard here to wait for them," finished Rocky.

"You have a leader?" asked Tetsuya.

"They gave me a sword to help protect the fort, but I broke it. Now… We're all alone…and helpless…" Rocky sniffed. "Ah bloo hoo hoo!" he wailed.

"Hey! Quit your blubbering!" shouted Pearl.

"Stop your sniveling, shrimp," added Rinku.

"Huh?!" went Rocky.

"We'll repair your sword. You might not know it by looking at us, but we're Craftknights!" reassured Aura.

"Really? Is that true?" asked Rocky.

"It sure is! We can fix it." Rinku turned to Tetsuya. "Right, Tetsuya?"

"Uh, sure…"

"Really? Don't make promises that you can't keep," said Rocky.

"Hey! The promise of a Craftknight is stronger than the toughest chain!" said Rinku cheerily.

Tetsuya blinked. "The promise of…a Craftknight…"

"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! You're awesome, mister!" cheered Rocky.

For some reason, Tetsuya looked sad now. "Okay…"

"I'm counting on you!" Rocky walked up to Rinku and handed him the broken sword.

"We should get back to the workshop and fix this sword," remarked Aura, looking the blade up and down.

"Sure!" agreed Rinku.

"We've got to repair Rocky's sword," said Aura to Pearl.

"Oh, right! The promise of a Craftknight is stronger than iron!" said Pearl. "I remember those proverbs now. Promises, promises, promises…"

"Promise…" repeated Tetsuya, looking sadder.

So they take a shortcut (the teleporter) back to the village entrance and head home. When they come inside, they are greeted by Orin.

"Hey, guys," greeted Orin.

"Is the meeting over?" asked Aura.

"Yeah. How's the search for the Daemon Edge going?"

"We didn't find any hints around the fortress," said Aura with a sigh.

"That's too bad…" agreed Orin.

"We found some kids in the fort, and we agreed to repair their sword for them," said Tetsuya with a sheepish smile.

"Repair a sword?" repeated Orin. "I heard a rumor about an herb called Hononas which supposedly can heal all kinds of wounds…"

"Yeah, the kids mentioned something about herbs," recalled Tetsuya.

"Yeah, they said their leader went to find herbs," agreed Pearl.

"Oh, yeah? They think it's on the island somewhere? Maybe I'll go look…" said Orin quietly.

"How is Master doing?" asked Tetsuya with a worried face.

"Well…" Orin looked towards the stairs. "The wound doesn't look that bad, but he has a ever. He doesn't seem to be getting better…"

"A fever…" repeated Tetsuya. "That's not good. All right! I'm coming with you," said Tetsuya with a determined frown.

"After you repair that sword, right?" asked Orin.

"Oh yeah, right," blinked Tetsuya. "I almost broke our promise…" Oops.

"We'll catch up with you in a little bit," said Aura.

"Okay," agreed Orin. He left off in search of the Hononas.

"Oh, by the way, I haven't seen Tatiana. Isn't she home yet?" asked Aura, looking around.

They head downstairs and repair all their weapons, and in doing so, fix Rocky's sword too. The broken sword became the fixed weapon!

"Okay. The weapon has been repaired," said Aura. "We'll get this back to those kids in the Wind Fortress!"

"Cool!" agreed Rinku.

"He'll be happy!" said Pearl. "We worked hard on this sword!"

They leave the house and were about to leave when Tetsuya spotted Tatiana at the town square. "Oh…" he and everyone else walked over to her. "Hey, Tatiana. What are you doing here?"

Tatiana turned around. "Oh, Tetsuya…Uh… I was praying."

"Praying?" repeated Rinku.

"There's a tradition in this area… If you cast a wish upon the stone monument of Transhift, your wish will definitely come true."

"Yeah?" asked Rinku. He smirked and said, "Girls always fall for that mushy stuff back on my world, too."

"Gee…Tell us how you really feel!"

"Huh?!" asked Rinku in shock. "What are you getting at? I don't believe any of that stuff!"

"Hmph!" scoffed Tatiana.

"What were you praying for, Tatiana?" asked Aura.

"Heh heh….It's a secret. I can't tell you. What about you? How's the search going?"

"Nothing yet…I've got a lead on where to look next, though," sighed Aura.

"No? Well, good luck!" cheered Tatiana. "Okay, I'll be going. I have to keep an eye on my father." Tatiana cheerfully went back home.

Tetsuya turned to Rinku. "Let's give back this repaired sword to Rocky."

"He'll fear me even more when he sees that I have the power to repair broken swords!" growled Rinku. "Ha ha ha!"

"Why do you want to scare him?" asked Tetsuya with a smile. "You're mean."

Aura sighed as she watched the two walk ahead. "Well, Pearl, they forgot that I was carrying the sword…" she tucked it under her arm. "Let's get going."

"Do you suppose a prayer to that monument will help?" asked Pearl, looking back at the monument as she followed Aura. "It might be worth a shot…"

So they head back to the Wind Fortress to deliver the sword back to Rocky and Kara. But why is Tetsuya worried about a promise? And will Aura be able to see Ryouga again to find out what this is all about?  
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**Heh heh. Find out in the next installment of SNSS2!! Oh, I'm so cheesy. See you later! Bye-bye!**


End file.
